We've Come This Far
by XyKPfan
Summary: Solana and Lunick continue to grow deeper in love. But now they deal with new problems and face more challenges than ever before! Friends and enemies old and new surface, and a new threat to the Pokémon world is revealed. Will their love survive? Sequel to Inevitable Love and takes place three years afterwards.
1. Chapter 1

It was just after dusk and the evening sky was just starting to freckle with tiny stars.

Music was being pumped throughout the area with expensive-looking stereo systems.

The area was filled with excited voices, the air surging with energy. The lights flicked in and out on stage, the laser lights putting on a performance of their own. The band was playing some intermission music backstage. The venue was completely packed. Millions of people were standing, waiting with utter anticipation to view the spectacle. So far the show had been spectacular, but it was obvious from the continued cheers that what they really wanted was for the region's native stars of the concert to take the stage once again. Suddenly, in the midst of all the anticipation a spotlight lit up on stage. Everyone's joyful cheers grew louder. The audience became frenzied while the crowd grew more intense. Thunderous applause erupted from the audience as someone familiar walked to the center of the stage.

He was a young man presumably in his late teens. He had dark Prussian blue hair with teal colored highlights and dark blue eyes. He was wearing the Ringtown Ranger Base's red ranger uniform. He waved to the audience as he placed his hand on the stand of the microphone. The crowd went ballistic. You couldn't help but gawk at him. He was that beautiful! And such an important figure! He was one of Fiore's cherished celebrities! He was their hero after all.

The crowd in the arena cheered as three more performers took the stage and stood the back. One of them had scruffy brown hair and was wearing the same uniform as the leader in the front of the stage and the other two, a girl with milk chocolate brown skin and a boy with bright red hair, were wearing uniforms that represented the Summerland Ranger Base's uniform. They all appeared to be the same age as the young man in center stage. They also waved to the audience as the crowd's cry grew.

All three rangers nodded to the young man in front and he nodded back. Smiling, he waved to the audience once more as he took up the microphone off of its hook.

"You all having a good time tonight?" the lead performer asked.

The crowd once again erupted in loud cheers. You could hear them chanting and screaming his name in excitement along with a few "We Love You!" lines and "You Rock!".

"That's good, that's good. Well, we're gonna try and keep the hype going, alright? The two songs we are about to perform are very pertinent to our reason for putting this show together. This charity is very near and dear to our hearts and we wanna do all we can to help them and help those kids, yes? So we're all doing our absolute best with this concert, which I hope you all have enjoyed thus far."

The cheers from the crowd seemed to cause the whole arena to vibrate.

"Alright. I'm glad to hear that. Well, we're not gonna keep you waiting anymore. Let's get this show started already!"

He put the microphone back on the its stand, and made peace signs with his hands and blew kisses to the crowd before grabbing the microphone stand and backing up a few feet.

A young girl pulling on her hair gave a shrill scream as she shouted "I love, Lunick!" hyping up the crowd that much more.

A Minun quickly ran on stage and took a position beside his human. Lunick smiled as he gave his partner as fist bump and looked back at his fellow rangers before signaling for the band to play.

A digital piano accompanied by a drumbeat and synthesizer started to play backstage and Lunick started to speak utterances as an introduction before singing along with it along with his fellow rangers, who were snapping and rocking to the music. As they did this, Minun started dancing to beat of the music while putting on a performance of his own filled with cheers beside Lunick.

Lunick pointed to the audience as he sang, greatly increasing the hype.

_Lunick__:_

…_Uh huh… _

_This is for the families…(pointing to the ground)_

_Yeah, yeah…come on!_

_I wanna thank you! _

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Thank you…_

_Lunick (pointing to himself)__:_

_For giving me, _

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Giving me…_

_Lunick (free hand raised to the sky)__:_

_Everything…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Everything…_

_Lunick__:_

_That I ever dreamed…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Ooh ohh oh…_

_Lunick (pointing to the audience)__:_

_I wanna tell you… _

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Tell you_

_Lunick (placing his hand over his heart)__:_

_Whatcha mean to me… _

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Mean to me_

_Lunick__:_

_How you make me feel… _

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Make me feel_

_Lunick (lowering his hand)__:_

_Like a family…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Ohh ohh ohh oh…_

_Lunick __(with an outstretched arm__)__:_

_So now I sing!… _

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Now I sing…_

_Lunick (pointing at no one in particular)__:_

_A song to youoooooo… _

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_A song to you_

_Lunick__:_

_To let you know!_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_To let you know-oh-oh_

_Lunick__:_

_I'm so thankful! Ohh yeahhh!__  
_

_You're in my heart… _

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_In my heart_

_Lunick__:_

_You give me all the love I need__  
__Ohhh you're my everything__  
__My everything!_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_My ohh..._

_Lunick__:_

_You're in my soul…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_In my soul_

_Lunick (with a raised pumped fist)__:_

_You give me strength to live my dreams…__  
__Oohhh you're my everything,_

_You make me sing…_

The crowd screamed impossibly louder as a second performer walked out on stage along with a Plusle. Everyone knew exactly who she was. She was the same age as her fellow cohorts and had turquoise blue hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. She touched various audience members' hands as she sang before making her way to center stage beside Lunick.

Lunick's smile widened considerably when he saw her.

_Solana__: _

_Well, I was lost once… _

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Lost once_

_Solana__:_

_Now I'm found… _

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Now I'm found_

_Solana (walking over to Lunick)__:_

_You took my hand…_(she clasped her hand in Lunick's as she said this)

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Took my hand_

_Solana__:_

_And never let me down… _

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Ohh oh ohh_

Solana looked Lunick in his eyes. He continued to smile widely, lovingly at her. Plusle joined Minun in his dancing cheer.

_Solana__:_

_I wanna tell you… _

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Tell you_

_Solana (putting both clasped hands over her heart)__:_

_Whatcha mean to me… _

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Mean to me_

_Solana__:_

_How you make me feel… _

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Make me feel_

_Solana__:_

_Liiiike a family!…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Oohh oh ohh oh_

They let go of each other's hand and looked back out to the audience.

_Solana__:_

_So now I sing!…_

_Lunick, Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Now I sing_

_Solana (pointing to the sky)__:_

_A song to you…_

_Lunick, Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_A song to you_

_Solana (lowering her hand back down)__:_

_To let you know-oh-oh… _

_Lunick, Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_To let you know_

_Solana &amp; Lunick__:_

_I'm so thankful!__  
__Ohh yeahhh!__You're in my heart… _

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_In my heart_

_Solana &amp; Lunick__:_

_You give me all the love I need…__  
__Ohhh you're my everything__  
__Everything!_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Ohh oh_

_Solana __&amp; Lunick__:_

_You're in my soul… _

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_In my soul_

_Solana &amp; Lunick__:_

_You give me strength to live my dreams…__  
__Oohhh you're my everything,_

_You make me sing_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Mothers, fathers_

_Sisters, brothers_

_Solana__:_

_Ohh yeah…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Aunties, uncles,_

_Grandmas, Papas._

_Lunick__:_

_Ahh-ha-uh-ah-uhhh…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Every…body…_

_Gotta…Love 'em…_

_Solana__:_

_Ohhh-oh-oh-oh-ooo-ah-ooo!_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_That's what…you call…_

_Family…_

_Lunick__:_

_Hey yeah!…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Always…there for…_

_You know…darlin'…_

_Solana_:

_Ohhh-oh-ohhh!_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Never...leavin'…_

_Or…forsaken…_

_Lunick__:_

_Ah-ah-ah-ahhh…._

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Staying…here un…_

_Till the…_

_End…_

_Solana_:

_Oh-ah-ah-ahhh…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_That's what…Fama…Lee has…been…_

"Everybody give it up for, Chris Classic!" Lunick shouted as another performer came from behind the curtains in the back of the stage and marched to the front. He was wearing a grey V-Neck shirt and jeans. He wore round sunglasses on his face and a black fedora with a striped red feather on his head.

Solana and Lunick moved and grooved on stage as he started to rap._Chris:_

_Every time I hear this song__  
__It makes me wanna shed a tear.__  
__When I sit and reminisce over the ones who ain't here.__  
__Makes you wanna call your mother or your brother_

_Say you love 'em…_

_So please do me that favor__  
__Next time you see 'em just hug 'em._

_And if it's kinda hard to do that__  
__I understand.__  
__'Cause unfortunately, _

_Things don't always go as planned._

_I know that if yah can,_

_You should take them by the hand,__  
__Look 'em in the eye__  
__And say, "You made me who I am"_

_Solana__:_

_Ohhh-ohhh-oh-oh-oh!__Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_You're in my heart…_

_Solana__:_

_You're in my har-ar-art!_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_You give me all the love I need…_

_Lunick__:_

_All I nee-ee-eed!…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Ohhh, you're my everything_

_All the rangers on stage__:_

_Everything!…_

_Solana__:_

_Ohhh oh_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_You're in my soul… _

_Lunick__:_

_You're in my sou-ooo-oul!…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_You give me strength to live my dreams!_

_Solana &amp; Lunick__:_

_My dreams!…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Oohhh, you're my everything, _

_You make me sing_

_Solana &amp; Lunick__:_

_Make me sing…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Mothers…_

_Solana__:_

_Mothers!…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Fathers…_

_Lunick__:_

_Fathers!…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Sisters…_

_Solana__:_

_Sisters…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Brothers…_

_Lunick__:_

_Brothers…__  
_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_That is…_

_Solana__:_

_Ohh oh oh…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_What is…_

_Lunick__:_

_Ahh ooo ohhh_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Fama…Lee…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Thank you…_

_So much…_

_Solana and Lunick__:_

_Thank you…_

_Leilani, Murph, &amp; Percy__:_

_Fama…Leee…_

As the song came to a close, the cheers in the audience increased.

The band wasted no time in starting the next song. A guitar solo started to play in the introduction as Chris Classic once again started to rap.

_Chris__:_

…_Uh huh…_

…_Yeah…__As I woke up this mornin' and I looked in the mirror_

_Lunick__:_

_Hey…_

_Chris__:_

_The message that I saw couldn't get any clearer _

_Solana__:_

_No-o-o…_

_Chris__:_

_The one conclusion of what defines me_

_Lunick__:_

_Oh!_

_Chris__:_

_Is everything I am_

_Is a great thing to be__Solana and Lunick__:_

_H-U, M-A-N…B-E-I-N…G-S __  
__What's in a name?_

_Well…it's…all we are…__  
__Who we'll be…__  
__You see, it's everything__We got the rhythm, got the music in us__  
__It never really mattered what race we are__  
__We're little, we're tall, we're all different…__  
__Here's a little bit about acceptance…_

_All of the rangers on stage__:__Whoever you are…__  
__Wherever you live…__  
__Whatever you look like…__  
__Whatever it is…__The person you see…__  
__Is just a skin…_

_All of the good stuff…__  
__Ain't out, it's in…__Chris__:_

_You know, I heard that people who judge you don't matter__  
__And so I feel like those who love you won't chatter_

_Lunick__:_

_Ain't out, its iiin…_

_Chris__:_

_Long as I know you take me for me…__  
__'Cause everything I am _

_Is a great thing to be__Solana and Lunick__:_

_I…ain't…never seen…__  
__Anyone…Who looks a thing like me__  
__But, still, I'm never shy…__  
__Because I know it's all about what's up inside__We got the rhythm, got the music in us__  
__It never really mattered what race we are__  
__We're little, we're tall, we're all different…__  
__Here's a little bit about acceptance…_

_All of the rangers on stage__:__Whoever you are…__  
__Wherever you live…__  
__Whatever you look like…__  
__Whatever it is…__The person you see…__  
__Is just a skin…_

_All of the good stuff…__  
__Ain't out, it's in…__Chris__:_

_This is the moment of truth…__  
__I give it all that I've got with no additional proof…__  
__I put my cards on the table and deal__  
__In other words, only worry about what's real_

_'Cause people say this_

_Solana and Lunick__:_

_This!_

_Chris__:_

_And people say that_

_Solana and Lunick__:_

_That!_

_Chris__:_

_But I've been bein' Chris ever since way back_

_Solana and Lunick:_

_Way baaaaa-aaaa-aa-a-a-ack!_

_Chris__:_

_And maybe if you focus you can get like me__  
__'Cause everythin' you are is a great thing to be__All of the rangers on stage__:_

_Whoever you are…__  
__Wherever you live…__  
__Whatever you look like…__  
__Whatever it is…__The person you see…__  
__Is just a skin…_

_All of the good stuff…__  
__Ain't out, it's in__  
_

_Whoever you are…__  
__Wherever you live…__  
__Whatever you look like…__  
__Whatever it is…__The person you see…__  
__Is just a skin…_

_All of the good stuff…__  
__Ain't out, it's in…_

The crowd again erupted into a thunderous applause and began screaming and whistling and chanting their approval once again.

Solana and Lunick smiled as sweat was visibly seen on their foreheads. He slipped his arm around her waist and together they both raised their hands and took a bow.

Plusle and Minun finished their electrical dance/cheer and took their stance beside their rangers. They continued to cheer as they waved to the audience.

Lunick put the microphone to his lips.

"Thank you….Thank you…Thank you all so very much for coming out tonight and lending your support. This is so very important to us as I've already said. We always do what we can to help those who are in need. And by coming out here and watching us perform, by watching all of the performers tonight and seeing the show, you have done just that and really helped those who need it the most. You know, I wanna thank our Area Leaders for allowing us to put together this show tonight for charity. I wanna thank the sensational Chris Classic for coming out here and supporting us. His latest album _'On Fire'_ is out in the stands on sale, so pick yourself up a couple of copies. I wanna thank the Hearts and Souls Foundation for sponsoring this event. I wanna thank my colleagues and friends back here for providing our awesome background vocals."

Leilani, Murph, and Percy all waved to the audience, Leilani herself blowing kisses afterwards as the crowd continued to cheer.

"And finally…I wanna thank my beautiful….Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful girlfriend for coming out and performing with me tonight…She doesn't ordinarily like to perform in front of anybody, you know, it's not really her thing…at all…But she came on out here tonight to help those orphaned and disabled children…and I am so very proud of her and so pleased and oh so very blessed to have her in my life. Thank you, baby, for coming out. I know you had other plans and didn't have to do this. Thank you, babe, so much. I love you."

Solana smiled as she looked at her boyfriend. She put her index finger under his chin and brought him in for a warm kiss, earning several 'awws', claps, whistles, and cheers from the audience and even from Percy and Leilani behind them.

Lunick put his forehead against hers afterwards before turning back to address the crowd.

"There's still much more in store for tonight. Right now, we're gonna have Winona and Wallace come on out and show off their spectacular routine with their pokémon. So sit back and enjoy. Get yourselves some drinks and food from the concession stands in the back. Remember, every soul is worth saving. It doesn't matter how much you give: As long as you give out of the goodness of your heart, you've saved a soul. And that truly is what counts. Thank you."

Lunick put the microphone back on its stand as he and Solana and the others walked off stage.

"You guys were awesome!" Lind said excitedly. He had a microphone headset on his face and a clipboard in his hand.

Freddie approached them as well. He also had on a microphone headset.

"Here have some water," he said as he held up the basket in his hands that had in multiple ice cold Deerling Eco Spring bottles of water.

"Thanks man," Lunick said as he picked one up and took several large gulps. Solana took a bottle of water out for a drink.

"That was hot!" Leilani said as she, Murph, and Percy stepped behind the stage. "Didn't I tell you guys this would be a good idea? A great idea?"

"You told us, Leil," Solana said as she screwed the cap for her bottle back on.

Leilani, Murph, and Percy also took bottles out of the basket Freddie held.

"And you said I should just let it go."

"That was three years ago. This wouldn't have even been possible back then."

"Blah blah blah," she made her right hand appear as if it were talking, "You could just say that I was right about using your mad singing skills to put on a talent show for charity."

"Well, this isn't really a talent show, Leil."

"Sole –"

"Okay. You were right. This was a really good idea to raise money for charity. Hearts and Souls got a lot out of it and we raised a ginormus amount of money so far. So…yes…You were right, Leilani."

"Thank you," she said with a large smile.

"So, what're you guys doing tonight after the show?" Freddie asked.

"Percy and I are going to the Capture Arena for a challenge. You wanna come with?" Leilani asked as she covered her bottle of water.

Freddie shook his head.

"Can't. I don't have a babysitter for Niema. Plus, I already promised her we'd watch Pocket Monsters when I got back home. I should be leaving now actually, so…you know…"

"That's cool. Go ahead. We'll catch up tomorrow." Said Leilani.

"Thanks. Later guys," he said as he took his headset off and hastily walked away.

"Later," they all said in unison.

"What about you, Murphy?"

Murph sighed.

"I'd love to, Leilani, but I can't. Aria wants me to give Meowphy a massage for her sore back. She got into a nasty fight with a Purrloin the other day and her veterinarian recommends daily massage treatments for her."

Leilani frowned slightly at hearing that.

"Yo, it's cool, man," Percy answered as Murph also left the group. He looked to Solana and Lunick, "What about you two Unfezant? Wanna join?"

Lunick shook his head firmly.

"Any other day, you know I'm game. But Solana and I have plans tonight."

Leilani nodded. "That's right. I forgot it was yah'll's anniversary."

Percy was confused. "Anniversary of what?"

"Of the day Lunick and I became a couple," Solana answered.

Percy smiled. "Aww, that's so sweet."

Lunick looked down at his watch.

"Actually, we should be heading out now. We're gonna stop by the base and get cleaned up and stuff first, then we're gonna go out."

Percy snickered. "You guys gonna be helping each other get clean in the shower?"

Lunick raised his eyebrow. Then he looked at Solana.

"Are we?"

Solana elbowed him lightly in his gut.

"No."

Lunick looked back up to Percy. "No."

Percy laughed. "You guys are so comical."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lunick replied, innocently. "But nah. We don't do any funny business. We mess around but…"

"Lunick!" Solana again elbowed him.

"Ow! What?"

Leilani started giggling.

"Anything like what had happened back when you guys stayed at the hotel here three years ago? Because then Percy wouldn't be entirely wrong."

Both their eyes stretched wide at hearing Leilani say that.

Percy tapped her on her shoulder.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," Lunick answered for her, "Look we better be heading out."

"Kk. See yah'll tomorrow." Leilani replied.

"Yeah. Good night, guys," Solana said as she and Lunick left.

"Good night."

They watched them leave from the backdoors.

"Aww, aren't they cute?" Percy said mockingly.

"Shut up." Leilani said quickly and cautiously, but smiling as well. "I like seeing all the gushy embarrassing stuff. It makes my day."

"Yeah, I bet it would," Percy said flatly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leilani asked suspiciously.

Percy shook his head.

"Nothing. You're just a little too involved in their business is all I'm saying."

"Oh, am I? I'm the whole reason they got together."

Percy laughed out loud.

"You are not!"

"Well, I started it. I'm the one who gave them that little push. Meanwhile, your spineless self didn't want to do anything."

"Hey, I don't stick my nose in other people's business."

"Who was just asking and was interested in what happened back when they were at the hotel? You constantly joke about stuff like that. About something naughty going on between the two of them."

"Yeah, and that's all they are – jokes. You, however, nose your way around like the K-9 unit until you find something you can use to your advantage and make them sweat. You love to embarrass them. No, that's not it. You're just too curious about what goes on in other people's affairs. Nosy."

Leilani flipped her hand.

"Whatever. Just prepare to lose at the Capture Arena. I may not be as fast as record-holding Solana and Lunick, but I'm skilled enough to beat you. Isn't that right, Lucario?"

The jackal-like pokémon nodded from the side. He had been meditating the entire show and when his human went to perform on stage.

Percy scoffed.

"Man, whatever. I got this."

"You got nothing. Chump."

"Leilani! Why I –"

The sound of someone clearing their throat took the two rangers out of their dispute. A young man perhaps a few years older with smooth, glossy, jet black hair with electric neon blue highlights could be seen approaching them. He had on a white tee shirt and baggy jeans. A golden chain with a 'V' on it hung from around his neck. And a black leather jacket hung over his right shoulder.

"Can we help you?" Leilani asked.

The young man put his hands in his pants pockets.

"Actually I just came back here to praise you all for that awesome performance. I especially like that song about accepting each other cultures and races. One of them 'Make a Difference and Change the World' type stuff. Really tight."

"Oh, well thank you, but it was no big deal. Solana and Lunick were the ones carrying the show."

"Yeah, but it would have lacked a certain spark if you weren't there performing with them."

Leilani's eyes stretched slightly wider, while Percy's brow furrowed in suspicion.

Leilani began. "Well, it was all for Hearts and Souls, right? When it boils down to it, it's all about those kids and what we can do to help."

"Yeah, I know." He answered. "I know what it's like to struggle as a kid. My heart bleeds for them. I gave my piece already. Just hope it helps."

"Every soul is worth saving. It doesn't matter how much you give: As long as you give out of the goodness of your heart, you've saved a soul. And that's what truly counts." Leilani said, reciting the foundation's motto.

"Well I most certainly did. I'm just hoping maybe you can show me a little kindness out of the goodness of your heart too, Miss Leilani?"

That surprised her.

"You know my name?"

"Yeah! You rangers are famous. Fiore's great heroes."

Leilani shook her head.

"No. The couple you saw out there singing lead are Fiore's true heroes. We're just regular pokémon rangers that help. Just doing our part to help keep this world a little safer and in order."

"Well, I definitely feel safe around you. And you're a heroine to me? I mean, what you're doing for these kids? Psssh. Not many folks would do that, even if they are pokémon rangers. And you look like a heroine. You know? Like those kind you read about in the comics. I mean, you're beautiful. That's a given. You got the strong and muscular but still sexy feminine physique down-packed. The shiny sandy brown ombre braids. Those dazzling light brown eyes. Those full, pouty lips. That devilish smile."

Leilani chuckled lightly while Percy narrowed his eyes.

"Why, sir. Are you being forward with me?"

He shrugged.

"If it doesn't offend you, yes? But that's just how I am. I can't help it. I see a beautiful girl, I got to speak what's in my heart."

"Me? Offended by compliments? Please. But, uh…I don't think I quite caught your name?"

"Alejandro." He said proudly. "Alejandro V_á_squez."

Leilani nodded.

"Defender of the people."

That impressed him.

"Ah, you know something about Latin name meanings."

"No, I just know it originates from Alexander the Great and know who Alexander was. Doesn't take much to derive the meaning, even in Spanish."

Alejandro laughed.

"You are very funny, Leilani. I like that."

Leilani pursed her lips and shrugged.

"Like you said, I can only be myself, right? Well, Alejandro. It was nice meeting you. You seem to already know who I am, so no need to introduce myself there."

She put her arm around Percy and patted him lightly on his chest.

"But this is my partner, Percy."

"Hi." Percy said curtly.

Alejandro exchanged glances between the two of them.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you two?…Are yah'll?…"

Again Leilani shook her head.

"Everybody likes to make that assumption when it's a male and female working together. But no. They're only two people who are partners who are also dating and those two are Fiore's prized heroes."

"So you're not –"

"Nope." Leilani finished for him.

Percy tugged on her arm.

"Leil, we gotta get going."

"You're not staying for the rest of the show?" Alejandro asked.

"No, Percy and I had plans to go down to the Capture Arena for a challenge. It's sort of a competitive thing we got going on as partners. You know, to see who's the best?"

"Can I tag along with?"

"Why don't you stay and enjoy the rest of the show?" Percy quickly asked.

Alejandro shrugged.

"Why? I already saw what I came to see," he said looking at Leilani with interest. "Can I get a little acceptance here?"

Leilani saw the stare but she was more amused than wary.

"Okay. I mean, I don't have a problem with it –" Leilani began.

"Great!" He said excitedly, cutting off Leilani before she could finish. He started rubbing his hands together, "Then I get to see you in action! I got my truck outside if you all need a lift?"

"No thanks. We got it," Percy replied placing a protective hand on Leilani's shoulder.

Again Alejandro shrugged.

"Cool. I guess I'll meet you there. I can't wait to see you perform, again, Miss Leilani."

Leilani nodded slowly as he exited from the back.

As soon as he was out the room Percy looked Leilani straight in her eyes.

"I don't trust him, Leilani."

"What? What's wrong?"

"Something's off about him. Didn't you see the way he was leering at you? Isn't it weird that he already knew your name before you introduced yourself? How direct he was being? Isn't all of it just off-putting? I'm telling you, I got a bad vibe from this guy."

It was Leilani's turn to scoff.

"Please, Percy. I may not be as famous as Solana and Lunick but folks still recognize me, even without the short blonde hair. And I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself around saucy men. You know me, Perce."

"I'm telling you he's bad news." He insisted.

Leilani started walking away.

"Please. You're overreacting. So he's a little…"

"Abrasive?"

Leilani paused.

"You just met him. You can't say something like that without really knowing him. Okay? And I was gonna say rough on the outside."

"Leilani, he made it clear he wants you."

"And I can handle myself. Just because he's forward and pert doesn't mean he's bad news. We don't know anything about him Percy. If he's wants to tag along, let him. And if he makes a move, I got it. I know how to take care of myself. Okay?…And…he's easy on the eyes too."

Percy's eyes stretched wide.

"Don't tell me you're actually considering going out with this guy?"

Leilani threw her empty bottle of water in the recycle bin.

"Let's just go to the Capture Arena, alright? I only have one goal tonight and that is kicking your butt in the field."

* * *

The ebony night sky was sprinkled with gleaming stars.

After getting cleaned up and taking their shower at the Fall City Ranger Base, Solana and Lunick headed straight to the park. It was a cool but nice autumn night and they were both wearing long-sleeved clothes. Solana was wearing a sheer black long-sleeved mesh tee shirt and black skinny jeans while Lunick wore a white single jersey baseball ¾ shirt with purple raglan style sleeves and loose fit denim jeans.

Solana and Lunick heard many of the nightly sounds as they continued their walk in the park. Distant spatterings of a Mightyena barking, Croagunk croaking their late night serenade to the Volbeat and Illumise, the rustling of the oak and maple trees, the smell of pine, the mown grass, the distant sound of the Stadium's pokémon battles, and cars driving down the road coming and going, all blended in together in harmony.

The streetlights lining the walkway illuminated the stone path they were taking. It was late in the evening, so the park wasn't particularly crowded. The nature sounds all around them made the setting all that more peaceful and relaxing. They hadn't said many words since they got to the park. They were just enjoying each other's company and listening to the night's nocturne.

Spotting what he was looking for, Lunick led Solana to a weeping willow tree, causing her to arch her eyebrow at him and give him a deadpan look.

"It's symbolic." Lunick argued. He freed himself from her arm and walked over to the tree. He plopped down on the ground in front of it and leaned against the base of its trunk in a laidback, but awkward-looking position, making Solana laugh. Minun laid down next to him.

"I'm not disagreeing with you there but it's not the same tree," Solana answered back, "You can't callback to a memory and highlight something that's in a different location separate from that memory. It doesn't coincide."

"Well, its pretty late to be traveling up to that hill. It was practically in the middle of nowhere save for that weirdly abandoned house. The weeping willow is what's important, not the location. It holds the symbolism and was the most physically important part about our confession aside from the sunset. Well, it's too late for the sunset but good ole weeping willow is still here." He patted the tree for emphasis.

"It's not the same tree." Solana repeated.

The leaves of the park's weeping willow tree flowed elegantly in the night breeze.

Lunick made a 'come hither' motion with his hands, inviting Solana to come sit in his lap.

Chuckling lightly at his goofiness in his attempt to be overly parlous sexy, Solana walked closer to him and slowly sat in his lap. Plusle ran up to Minun and snuggled up next to him.

"Remember when you were teaching me about the constellations?" Lunick asked as they both looked up at the night sky.

"Yes, but you can't see the stars out here like we did out in the Lyra Forest." Solana answered as she laid back and rested her head on his chest.

"Remember what I said about the Seviper Bearer/Machoke Constellation protecting all the other pokémon constellations for all eternity?"

"Yes?"

"I want you to remember that. And remember the Milotic Constellation? We didn't talk about its meaning, but remember when we brought it up?"

"Vaguely."

"Well, I want you to keep those two constellations in mind tonight."

A few moments of silence passed as they continued to look at the rich sky laden with gleaming but faded stars.

"Look at how the willow branches dance in the breeze, Solana. It kinda reminds me of Prom when we were dancing outside near the fountain in Wintown."

Solana closed her eyes and rolled her head further back.

"Oh, Prom…One of the worse moments of my life."

"Uh-uh. Had you not been on suspension, we may not have confessed our feelings when we did. But I bring it up for a reason. Remember what I said to you that night?"

"Not really. That was three years ago, Lunick."

"Try."

Sighing, Solana tried to recall the words Lunick spoke to her after she destroyed the Motor Lodge with Aria and gave her nemesis a black eye.

"Something…Something about not worrying about losing my job…Something about being true to myself? And something about my eyes? And that prayer. Serenity Prayer."

"I said never to lose that light inside you. Because it shines too beautifully. That light inside you. Your joyful spirit."

That made her smile.

"Okay."

"Remember that and keep it in your mind."

Solana sat up. "You're asking me to remember a lot of stuff?"

Lunick laid out his hands. "Bear with me. I'm going somewhere with this, trust me."

Shaking her head, Solana leaned back on Lunick and let her head fall on his chest again. She felt as though she could stay with him like that forever. His chest made her feel so safe. What a weird thing to say? But it was true. It made her feel like nothing could touch her so long as she was lying here with him on his chest.

"You remember the evening I confessed my feelings to you? After the whole Shadow Pokémon thing and when we were still recovering from our injuries during the fight?"

Solana smiled.

"Yeah. I remember all the awkward songs Plusle and Minun were playing that evening too."

"That wasn't planned!" Lunick said embarrassingly.

Solana chuckled.

"There's a ribbon in the sky for our love…All of me, loves all of you…And…Let's get it on?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

Lunick felt humiliated all over again.

"Solana, none of that was me. Honest! I swear, I have no idea what Plusle and Minun were doing!"

He looked over at the two electric mouse pokémon, who looked like they were falling asleep. That reminded him of the time Solana said they looked cute together. It took him a while to understand what she meant when she said that, but looking at the two of them peacefully curled up together, he felt like he got what she was saying all these years.

"I should hope those weren't planned," Solana said as she leaned back against him again. "I mean, of all the songs you would play to set the mood, why '_Let's Get It On_!' That is not the type of mood setting I was looking for or even interested in."

"It…was not…me! I can't make that any more clearer! But you know what? '_Crush' _ended up playing and that made the confession less awkward because that song alone encompassed everything I ever felt about you."

"Really?"

Lunick nodded.

"If you felt the same way about me? Was it all in my head or was I really crushing on you? Was it something more? The thought of us being together, being something I wanted so much that it overwhelmed me and was too much to think about. All of it was true. And that made telling you my feelings that much easier. Don't get me wrong it was still way difficult. Like I almost had a panic attack right then and there…But the song helped."

Solana nodded in understanding.

"I bring up that day not just because it's our anniversary, but because there are some things I wanna talk about that relate to that day, and in fact, the whole journey of getting to that moment of me finally saying 'I love you'."

They continued to watch the twinkling stars and the weeping willow tree dance in the wind.

"Look at the moon, Solana."

Solana lifted her head and stared at the brilliant, round, circular orb of white in the sky.

"Okay?"

"Remember that."

Solana was beginning to get annoyed.

"Lunick!"

Unfazed, Lunick took her hands in his.

"Look down, Solana."

Though she was still annoyed, she complied.

"What do you see?"

Her eyes glided over their hands and she instantly knew what he was talking about. It was the pink pearl Luvdisc and Alomomola ring she was wearing. She never took it off since Lunick gave it to her (save to bathe in the shower). She even kept it on during their missions, the fingerless gloves she wore protected it by her hand.

"This ring said more about my love for you than I was able to put into words back then at the time. But I think I'm able to better articulate my feelings to you now than I was before."

Solana looked up from the ring at him.

Lunick continued.

"I know this weeping willow tree isn't the same weeping willow where we confessed to each other and shared our first kiss. That was a wonderful memory I think we'll always keep deep in our hearts. But even though it's not the same tree, I believe the weeping willow to be our tree, so it doesn't matter where we are. And I'm about to explain why in a moment. But before I do that, there's something I need to do first…I know I asked you to remember a lot of things tonight, but that was just so I could set up for this…I want to start a new memory. One we can hold onto like when we first kissed."

Solana started to feel Beautifly and Butterfree in her stomach. Just what was Lunick planning?

Lunick looked down for a moment, before looking Solana back up in her eyes.

"I called back to the Milotic Constellation. About how we never explored it's meaning? Well, if you remember back, when we were talking about the Teddiursa Constellation and the Ursaring and the Seviper Bearer Constellation, we were saying how they were protecting the Teddiursa because, you know, Ursaring being its parent, and Machoke, the Seviper Bearer, holding a seemingly dangerous pokémon, thus protecting the other pokémon. But I bring up the Milotic Constellation, because it is Milotic who is encircling the Teddiursa, providing it comfort. See, I did a little research. All the other constellations only appear at a specific time of year – the Ursaring in the springtime, the Seviper Bearer in the summer. But Milotic is there all year round, casting its beautiful glow in the northern night sky all the time. You know what this tells me? That while the Ursaring and Machoke are up there being heroic, protecting their family and all the other pokémon, Milotic is the one providing comfort and peace of mind to everyone, including Machoke and Ursaring, because of the glow it's casting, and it is shielding and comforting the Teddiura while its parent and other pokémon are doing war and because sometimes, its parent's not always there to protect it. Why do I bring all this up, you may ask? Well, I want to be like that Milotic. I want to protect you, yes, like an Ursaring would protect its young and a Machoke would fight if threatened, but I want to be like Milotic and provide you with comfort all year round, so that when the storms of life arise or when we are threatened, I'll always be able to provide you with comfort, even if I'm not able to always physically be there to protect you."

Solana's heart also started to flutter. Lunick had no idea just how much comfort he had given to her all these years in not knowing what she was going through internally. Lunick's words, while they made her feel so good inside, she knew they were leading up to something. Something big. Or else, he wouldn't be Lunick.

"I brought up the Prom. And I know that is a sore spot for you, Solana, because it was the first mark on your career and called into question your character, but I brought it up for a much deeper reason. The light. Your spirit. Your aura. Is so effervescent. When you are happy and confident, or at the very least content, my whole world is all right. And it is that light inside you that drives you. Why you are so successful at what you do. And one of the reasons why I am so in love with you. When I said I didn't want you to lose that light, Solana, I'm saying please don't ever lose you. Yourself. Your being. Because you are too beautiful of a person. Too beautiful of a spirit, that if that light were ever dampened, it would be a great travesty, which is why I want to be like the Milotic constellation and keep that light shining beautifully."

Solana felt tears welling in her eyes. Lunick was making her feel so happy to be alive. So happy to be with him. She didn't know how to contain her emotions.

Lunick saw a loose tear roll down his girlfriend's cheek and he lovingly brushed it away.

"Almost done, babe. Two more points and then I have something to give you."

A gift? Lunick had a gift for her?!

"The moon." He said. "I asked you to look at the moon. If you remember back, Solana, to the Shadow Pokémon battle we faced three years ago, how I was represented by the moon in the legend. Well, whenever you look at the moon, whatever its shape, whatever the time of day, I want you to think of me…Let me explain further by going into the weeping willow tree. The weeping willow tree is believed to honor the moon, in its celtic meaning, but it also is said to increase the essence of love in our lives. The moon moves the tides, pulling water to and fro with its own wax and wane…like the wind moves the weeping willow tree's branches to and fro in an elegant dance. The moon and willow tree are believed to be connected in that sense but really, I bring up the tree because of its power. As frail and as dainty as the weeping willow tree looks, it is powerful and the branches can whirl in many different directions and form outrageous poses without snapping even a little. It's not just flexible, it is strong. The weeping willow tree, such a beautiful creation of nature, also has a metaphorical and spiritual connection, which is why I said before that I believe it is our tree, a symbol of us and our love. We aren't always gonna see eye-to-eye at times and our emotions are gonna overwhelm us and we're gonna twist, and turn, and fight each other as opposites but in the end, our love is undying, unfailing, and like the branches of the willow tree, we will come back to each other and our love will be powerful and strengthened by the whirls and we'll still come out looking beautiful, just like the weeping willow tree."

Solana couldn't stop the tears now. Lunick's words while like poetry to one's ears were filled with passion – the kind of passion she loved to see in him, but moreso, it was filled with passion about them and their love. They hadn't had many big fights or many hurdles as a couple, but that didn't mean they wouldn't face them in the future as all couples did, and that was what Lunick was trying to say. But that passion! That passion he had for her! Just for her!…

Plusle and Minun had woken up from their light slumber and were now looking at their two rangers with great interest.

Lunick again gently wiped away her tears.

"One more, baby." He tried to console. "The sun and the moon. I want us to think of each other as the sun and the moon, and I say this because of that huge mission we had with the Shadow Pokémon three years ago. Fiore's legend about that mission with the Shadow Pokémon depicts us as the sun and the moon. And it took us going through that entire ordeal for me to realize just how much I needed you in my life. That mission was the cornerstone that changed our lives forever. And inspired me to buy this."

Reaching into his back pocket, Lunick pulled out a long, wide, red velvety gift box. Opening it, he took out a necklace that appeared to have half of the sun and half of the moon joined together. The sun was encrusted in pink sapphires and the moon blue sapphires and emeralds.

Solana's hands flew to her mouth and she started to whimper.

"This necklace is a two-piece necklace. It's a full sun with a quarter moon superimposed on it at the fasten, so that it appears that you are looking at two halves. But they can be separated so that you can see the full sun in all its glory and the quarter moon in all its magic. Just like the sun and moon, we are very different. But when we come together as one, we create a light that is unrivaled and that shines so brilliantly, creating something wonderful and magical. It may not be a promise ring. But I'm making the same declaration to you. I love you, Solana. With all my heart. These last three years we've been together have by far been the best of my life. And I am prepared to commit to you for the rest of my life. Marriage is still a far ways off, I know. But right now, I am making a solemn promise to you, that you are my one and only, and if you would have me, I promise I will spend the rest of my days making you happy the rest of yours. Like the Milotic Constellation, I will comfort you and try and support your beacon light. Like the weeping willow, even when the wind blows, I will be strengthened by and with you through the storm. Like the mission we had three years ago, our souls will become as one and we will shine in a gossamer glow and the rainbow of showers will fall in our journey because we are united not just as a couple, but in our destinies too."

Solana was speechless. She had no words to say. Lunick had this planned all along? All along?

Lunick exhaled.

"Solana, just like I said before, you are the princess of my heart, and the life of my soul, and if you would let me, even though we're not married, if you would allow me to commit myself fully to you, and if you would do the same for me…to allow us to focus on our love and commitment for one another…I love you, Solana. With all of my heart. With every fiber of my being. And even though it was understood before that I only wanted you, I want to show that I made a serious promise to remain faithful and loyal to you. I don't need to propose and we don't need to be engaged to do that. But I do need you to understand that you never have to worry about losing me. You're the only girl for me, Solana Tsuki. I'm still as goofy as goofy can be and I'm still a dork, but I'm dead serious when it comes to my love for you. Will you wear this necklace, as a declaration of our love and commitment to one another?"

Solana nodded her head slowly as she tried to catch her breath and continued to cry tears of joy.

Smiling weakly, Lunick held up the expensive necklace. He separated the two pieces, revealing one as a quarter moon and the other as a full sun, just as he said.

"Solana, you are the sun – strong, bold, fearless, and gleaming. And I am the moon – a little more passive and sometimes dependent on you to shine myself. But together, we bring out the best in each other and are an unstoppable force." He said as he placed the emerald/blue sapphire jewel around Solana's neck.

He held out the sun necklace to Solana to put around his neck. After marveling at her own necklace for a moment, Solana wiped her tears and placed the solar necklace piece around his neck. They sparkled against the moonlight.

"Oh my God," Solana croaked tearfully as she started to smile and laugh.

Lunick touched her quarter moon necklace.

"All you have to do is wear this moon necklace and I'll always be with you, right next to your heart. Even if I'm not physically there, take comfort in that spiritually I am."

Solana continued to cry. She could not believe all that Lunick had done. That he took the time and had done all of this…for her…for them!

Lunick frowned slightly.

"Aww, I was trying to make this a special occasion. I really didn't mean to make you cry. Stop crying, babe. Stop crying. Please. I'm sorry."

Before Lunick could move to wipe her tears away he found himself pushed back as Solana found his lips with hers. He was so surprised by the act that he fell back onto the ground. But that didn't stop Solana from kissing him. He gave into it and wrapped his arms around her waist. They stopped after a minute or so when they were forced to come up for air.

"Not that I'm complaining…But, uh…What…What was that for?" Lunick asked, still a little shocked.

Solana shook her head.

"The fact that you have to ask…"

"Is it the necklace? Really that was whole point of everything that came before but I wanted to show you how serious I was about us."

Solana closed her eyes and put her finger to her mouth in thought.

"So simple yet sophisticated and full of meaning and symbolism. I'm so amazed."

Lunick propped himself up on his elbows.

"Wait a minute, are you insulting me?"

"No, this is just my way of saying your mine's. You are the hero of my life in so many ways, you've saved me so many times. And you are the champion of my heart and soul and you're not going anywhere if I have anything to say about it."

Lunick smiled.

"I am both happy and scared to hear that. Why is that?" he chuckled.

Solana took her lunar necklace and reconnected it to Lunick's solar one.

"And the birthstones? You even thought of our birthdays?"

"Yeah, you know, again to confirm my seriousness. I was finally able to afford the pink sapphires for you, but you know, September is still technically blue sapphires, so I had to fit that in too. It was difficult to get the emeralds in for me because, well, come on you don't see green moons anywhere…that I'm aware of…But it was so expensive even just to border the moon in emeralds and fill the rest with blue sapphires…In fact, the whole thing has pretty much drained my savings completely. I mean do you know how much even a single karat costs? And I'm not even talking about diamonds here! I tell you…But when it comes to you, babe, money doesn't matter, so in the end, it's all worth it. Because you're worth it. "

Solana nodded slowly.

"I think it's time for us to be connected like our sun and moon necklaces."

Lunick's eyes went wide for a second.

"Stop thinking like that. Not what I meant. I was just thinking about the connection of lips. A passionate make-out session for a passionate committed boyfriend of mine's."

Lunick relaxed and smiled.

"Oh. Okay. Strictly first base intimacy. Gotcha….Though, I wouldn't mind going up to second base?"

Solana grabbed his chin.

"You talk too much. You've done enough talking for one night. We can discuss that later. Right now, this Liepard wants her prey."

Lunick raised his eyebrows slyly.

"Calling ourselves seductive pokémon, are we? You want some Lunshine that badly?"

Solana put her finger over his lips.

"Stop talking. Skitty wants to play."

"Meow." Was all Lunick could get out before his lips met once more with Solana. He held her tightly as they continued to make-out heavily beneath the dancing willow tree under the full moon.

Plusle giggled in delight while Minun smiled weakly and turned away. He loved his rangers, he did, but he had seen enough of their human petting for one night.

* * *

**A/N: **And there is the first chapter of the second Book. And before you ask, no there will not be a lot of singing in this story like with _Inevitable Love_. This was purely for the charity and to piggyback to the idea Leilani had pitched to them back in Chapter 13 of _Inevitable Love_. This may happen one more time in the story but it will not happen often, I guarantee that. For those of you who are wondering, the songs are _Thank You _and _Acceptance _from the Alvin and the Chipmunks' Undeniable album. I did have to change the lyrics a bit to better suit this world but I still think the overall message got across. That part of the story reads best when reading along to the music, so I recommend going on Youtube and playing those songs as you read the concert section so it won't seem as long and drawn out, and you get a better idea and feel of what the songs were trying to convey if it wasn't already clear to you.

And I also want to make clear the couples in this story. The only ones who are together are Solana and Lunick, Spenser and Elita, and Murph and Aria. Leilani and Percy are not together like they were at the end of _Inevitable Love_. Why? Well, because like some of you, I love and support the LeilanixMurph ship that I had established in the previous story. The only reason they were not together in the Epilogue of _Inevitable Love_ was because I wanted to create a character dynamic between Murph and Aria, with Aria maybe somehow letting down her barrier and opening up more to Murph. You know, the whole opposites attract thing? But as I continued to write the story, the more I wanted Leilani and Murph to be together and Percy and Aria to be paired off with somebody else. But, I would have to go back on myself because when I initially set up the story, it was for Murph and Aria to be together and Leilani and Percy to start dating. BUT! This may not necessarily hold for this story as well. This is a slight spoiler, so if you don't want to know, you can stop reading here and go onto the next paragraph. Even though Murph and Aria are officially dating in this story, their relationship will be tested – greatly. Leilani still has feelings for Murph but doesn't want to ruin his relationship, and Murph cares deeply for Aria but she still mocks him and remains unappreciative of him, which makes him feel bad as well. I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that Murph, Aria, and Leilani while not a love triangle, will face some trials in this story just like every other character. So AriaxMurph and PercyxLeilani may not be the final pairing as set up in _Inevitable Love_. So…I just wanted to make that clear because I also shared some of your frustrations in Murph and Leilani not being together.

And my final point – the sexual content and rating of this story. As I stated before at the end of _Inevitable Love_, I may have to give this story an M Rating for sexual content (future chapters) because I may end up having more sexual or intimate scenes that would force me to up the rating of the story. I will of course, let you all know at the beginning of the chapter if it will have that kind of heavy sexual content and let you use your discretion there, but this story is not a sex story, and is more of the characters dealing with inner and outer conflicts and challenges in addition to a new threat, so there is no need for that concern. **But after familiarizing myself with the guidelines, I have to give this story an M rating considering the chapter ideas and scenes I already have written down (but not yet published because they are incomplete).** I will state again, however, that the M rating is only for sexual content and nothing else. No violent, gory thing will occur in this story. There was one conflict I was initially concerned about, but again, that will remain in the T – zone…hopefully…But again, nothing slasher-like or horror or vivid. This story is only rated M for sexual scenes that will come in future chapters! I hope I've made this very clear.

Well, I think I've said enough here. This was the first chapter of _We've Come This Far_ and the second story in the Rangershipping Book series, so I really hope you all enjoyed it!

Please Don't Forget to Review!

Always Do Everything With Love,

XyKPfan


	2. Chapter 2

Lunick and Minun came up to Solana's house with a bouquet of pink-tipped pale yellow roses. He rang the bell.

He waited about two minutes before he realized her front window was opened. He walked over to it and called inside.

"Solana, its Lunick."

"It's open." He heard her reply back.

Opening the door, Lunick and Minun stepped inside.

"I'm in the living room."

He made his way to the living room area.

He walked in the open door frame and saw Solana in a lavender sports bra and white yoga pants doing what appeared to be some kind of physical fitness exercise on a teal exercise matt. Her hair was done up in a ponytail as usual, but her hair hung down between her shoulder blades instead of being done up and pinned to the top like when she was on a mission. Her lunar necklace hung down from her neck.

He saw her kneeling on the ground, her head tucked down, before she lifted her knee up off the floor and then lifted her pelvis and behind up toward the ceiling, bringing her body into the shape of an 'A'.

Lunick tilted his head slightly to the right as he continued to marvel at her.

"Whoa, that can't be G-rated," he said with a smile.

Solana quickly stood up at the sound of his voice. Plusle got up from her position beside Solana to go greet Minun.

"Plah Pla Pla!"

"Mai Mai!"

Solana turned around to face him and put her hands on her hips.

"Were you just staring at my butt, mister?"

"Yes," he answered easily. He walked up to her and gave her a peck on the lips. "And I enjoyed the view."

"Hm," she said as she kissed him back, "I cannot believe you were ogling at me like that."

"I'm a guy. You can't expect me not to look."

He held the bouquet of roses out to her.

"These are for you."

She took the bouquet from him, "Thank you. They're beautiful."

"Just like you, babe."

"Aww," she cooed. She leaned closer to him. Lunick puckered his lips, expecting yet another kiss. But instead of kissing him, Solana leaned passed him and whispered in his ear. "Nice try."

Lunick pouted as she walked into the other room laughing to get a vase for the flowers.

"That's foul."

"You've indulged yourself enough, mister," she said as she reenetered the room and placed the flowers next to her TV set.

"What were you doing anyway?"

"Yoga and Pilates," she answered as she walked back onto her matt. "I always do a little bit of exercise in the morning before I start my day."

Lunick chuckled. "You call that exercise?"

"Of course it's exercise. It requires just as much focus, concentration, and strength training as any workout you do at the gym."

"I guess I'll have to take your word for it then."

Solana shook her head.

"You could join me too, you know?" she said as she knelled back down on the matt. "It might be good for you."

Lunick plopped down on her sofa.

"Nah. Duking it out with the punching bags, running on treadmills, and lifting weights is my kind of exercise. Besides, you look so sexy doing it."

"Well, thank you," she said unenthusiastically as she stretched down to the ground.

"What was the name of that pose you were doing before I walked in here?"

"Downward facing Furfrou."

"Sounds about right."

She shot him a look before transitioning into a forward fold position.

"Why don't you go into the kitchen and make us both a healthy breakfast?"

"Nah…I'm good right here."

Lunick again titled his head as he stared at her backside once more.

"You know, you could try not to be so blatantly obvious about your ogling."

"Maybe if we were still just friends, but as your BF I believe certain rights are afforded to me." He said still staring at her.

Solana then moved to a basic plank position. She drew her right knee up to her right elbow and extended her left leg back.

"Are those same rights afforded to me?"

"Naturally."

"Then take your shirt off."

"…I'm sorry what?" he said, lifting his head back up to look at her, but his eyes kept inadvertently drifting back to her buttocks.

Solana then went back into a 4-point keeling position before gently hovering her knees off of the floor without losing her alignment, cueing a strong connection through her core.

"I could use some inspiration too, you know. Or are we gonna pull a double-standard here?" After she was comfortable with her knees off of the floor, she started lifting her right foot off of the floor and extended it while maintaining her natural breathing and correct alignment.

Raising his eyebrow, Lunick stood up and peeled out of his black jersey and tossed it on the floor, leaving on his vest and sun necklace.

"How's this?"

Solana went back into a standard 4 point position and turned her head back to face him.

"Oh, that's a marvelous sight. How about removing the undershirt too?"

"Are you gonna take off yours?"

She gave him a strange look.

"I'm only wearing a sports bra."

"Your point? We gotta keep the standard even. If I'm gonna expose my chest, you gotta do the same."

She shook her head before moving into a reverse plank position.

"Sit your hot tail down, mister."

"That's what I thought," he said, sitting back down on the sofa.

Drawing from the center, she pulled her behind and legs forward through the opening she made with her arms, keeping as much of her legs off of the floor as possible. Then she swung her legs back out and went straight into a dolphin pose.

Lunick covered his mouth with his left hand and leaned forward.

Solana then went into a frog pose. Then after holding it for the appropriate amount of time, she transitioned into a king pigeon pose. She brought her left knee forward and placed it on the floor behind her left wrist. Then she lined her left ankle up with her wrist. She lowered her hips and straightened her right leg on the floor directly behind her right hip, then rested the top of her foot on the floor. Then she lifted and puffed out her chest like a pigeon, resulting in a very complex-looking pose.

Lunick stared at his girlfriend for about another minute, then got up from the sofa.

"I think I'll go make breakfast now."

"I thought you were enjoying looking at me exercise," Solana breathed out as she held her position.

"I am. That's why I'm gonna go make breakfast now," he said nervously.

Wondering what he meant, Solana bent her upper body backwards to the floor, looking at him upside down. Then…she saw what he was talking about.

"So, you are excited," she said with a sly smile on her face.

Lunick grabbed his jersey off of the floor and covered himself.

"Don't look at me!" he barked as he hastily walked out of the room and into the kitchen.

Releasing her position, Solana went on her knees and started laughing. She enjoyed making her boyfriend turn red from time to time.

* * *

After Solana finished exercising, she sat down and ate breakfast with Lunick before heading up to take her shower. Ever since the day they became a couple, Lunick made it a habit to stop by her house every morning on his way to work. Sometimes, he'd come so early that they had time to enjoy each other's company before leaving. She always liked when Lunick stopped by and made her breakfast before they headed out to the Ringtown Ranger Base. Not only could he cook really well, but he also knew how to cook healthily…at least when he was around her. She never really ate a meal in the morning, mostly just skipping breakfast and heading straight to work. But Lunick changed all that once he started coming over, often demanding that she sit down and eat something before leaving. He'd even block the door, march her right into the kitchen and sit there with her, watching her eat, even if it meant reporting to work late, which was a big deal to both of them as the base operates on punctuality so they'd be ready for any necessary emergencies should they arise. And because of that, her meals were a lot more balanced. It definitely made her mornings more pleasurable and she felt like she had more energy throughout the day. She didn't know if it was a direct result of Lunick's healthy cooking or if it was Lunick himself that made her feel that way but either way she was happy.

Lunick had also made it a habit to leave a spare uniform as well as some clean clothes and underwear over at Solana's house. Occasionally, they would have missions that would leave Lunick just bone tired and he would often keel over in her house from exhaustion, putting Solana in a very precarious situation. But Lunick never took advantage of Solana letting him stay there. Sure, he'd make a joke or two as was his usual chaffed Lunick self, but he always remained respectful of their relationship and slept on the couch while Solana slept in her room. It was true sometimes Solana wanted to just curl up with him in bed as she loved snuggling with him but Lunick had remained adamant that they only do that on her loveseat sofa. If they fell asleep on her couch that wasn't a problem, but Lunick was wary of falling asleep in her bed with her because he was afraid they may end up doing more than just cuddling. And indeed, they did come pretty close to moving things up another level in their relationship a few times, but they were always mindful of when things got too heated. Lunick was such a gentleman and was so careful with her, that Solana felt sometimes that she wanted to go on up to that next level, but deep down, she knew that was something neither of them were ready for…right now anyway…

Solana and Lunick held hands as they entered the Ringtown Ranger base, their respective pokémon on their shoulders. They saw Murph sitting down in one of the chairs eating a sandwich. His Slowking was standing tall right beside him, manipulating what appeared to be a Rubix's Cube with his Psychic.

Once Murph saw Solana and Lunick enter the base, he immediately became cheerful. He shoved the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and went over to greet them, while Plusle and Minun jumped off of their rangers' shoulders to go greet Slowking.

"Morning, Solana! Morning, Lunick!"

"Good morning, Murph," Solana answered.

Plusle jumped in the air and grabbed Slowking's Rubix's Cube (after he explained to them what he had been doing), trying to figure out how to solve the puzzle herself.

"Are we the only ones here so far?" Lunick asked looking around. The base was strangely empty.

"I think so," Murph answered looking around as well. "The only other ones here I think are Leader and the Professor. I guess everyone's really tired after the concert last night.

"Who can blame them?" Solana agreed.

Frustrated at not being able to solve the puzzle, Plusle threw the colorful cube on the ground in a huff and crossed her arms, shocking Slowking.

"Plah Pla!"

"Slow!"

"Plah Pla Plah!"

Minun then picked up the cube and started fiddling with it. Slowking shook his head.

"Slowking."

"Lind said we raised over $150,000 at last night's charity event!" Murph gushed. "Well, we did have to factor in the $77,000 fundraising cost. But even after subtracting the expenses for the event, we still managed to raise $73,000! Isn't that great?!"

"That's incredible," Solana asked astounded.

"Aww, yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Lunick exclaimed as he made a fist and pulled it down.

"Leilani's never gonna let us forget this." Solana added. "I bet she's positively beaming."

Smiling broadly, Minun held up the completed Rubix Cube, to Slowking's and Plusle's amazement.

"Mai Mai."

"Plah Plah!"

"Slowking!"

Placing the 3D combination cube on the ground, Minun started skipping and gloating that he was the only one who solved the Rubix Cube puzzle, much to Plusle's chagrin.

Sparks started to fly off of Plusle's cheeks as her anger continued to rise. She tried to tell her counterpart to stop gloating.

"Plah Plah…Pla Pla Plah!"

"Mai, Mai! Mai, Mai! Mai, Mai!"

But Minun continued to gloat.

Vexed, Plusle charged at Minun and the two started tussling on the floor. Slowking shook his head in disappointment as the two continued to tussle, using his Psychic to separate them moments later. If he had another minute he probably would have solved the complicated puzzle himself before Plusle and Minun came in with their humans and avoided all of this. He didn't really care for rough housing with these two easily tempered pokémon. They really were starting to adopt their humans' mannerisms.

The elevator in the base dropped down and Professor Hastings and Spenser could be seen coming out of it moments later. Spenser took his position in front of his desk while Professor Hastings stood near the elevator door, his hands both resting on his cane.

Solana, Lunick, and Murph all lined up for their address.

"Good morning, rangers."

"Good morning, Leader," they all replied in unison.

Spenser nodded. "Well, let me first start off by congratulating you rangers on your fundraising endeavors last night. Well done. Hearts and Souls were really pleased, and I must say, so am I. Charity events aren't foreign to Pokémon Rangers but this was, I believe, Fiore's first charity concert. It was definitely a risk to put on, even moreso with our current budget, but you young rangers managed to pull it off without a hitch. I am very proud. Mrs. Akiyama and Mrs. Callaway were especially satisfied with the gross revenue and wanted to express their gratitude once again. And again I must say, well done, rangers."

Solana, Lunick, and Murph all smiled at each other, Lunick even throwing in two thumbs ups.

Again Spenser nodded.

"So your assignments for today…I want all of you…to have fun and relax.

They were all surprised to hear that.

"As you can see, your fellow students were not able to make it in today. And I can't really blame them. The concert was pretty heavy on all of us. And I think after all the work you three have done, you deserve an extra day's rest. You have surely earned it. Keep an eye out for trouble as usual but I want you all to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Of course, a ranger's work is never done so I can't say you'll be able to get the day off tomorrow. But for now, you three can take it easy. I'll remain here at the base if you need me. Understood?"

They all nodded excitedly. "Yes, Leader!"

And again, Spenser nodded.

"Alright. Dismissed."

Spenser went behind his desk and started to gather some papers he had to fill out and file before sitting down in his seat.

Solana squealed and balled her fists in excitement as the three of them exited the base.

"Oh man, a whole day to ourselves!"

"I don't think we've had a break since…well…I don't know, haha," Murph said cheerily.

Slowking followed behind them still carrying an arguing Plusle and Minun with his Psychic, all the while shaking his head in disappointment.

"I am so calling Leilani. We've been planning a girls' day out for months and now we finally have the chance to do it!"

"And…just what am I supposed to do?" Lunick asked questioningly.

Solana lowered her hands.

"Why come with us to the mall, of course."

"What, no way!" Lunick said defiantly. "You and Leilani can go have your girls' day or whatever. But I think I'm gonna call Freddie and Percy up and see if we can finally finish our Samurai Warriors game. I shall be victorious and the Samurai King!"

Solana put her hands on her hips.

"What! No way! You are so coming with me!"

"Why do I have to tag along and watch you girls splurge yourselves?"

"Because you're my boyfriend, Lunick!"

"So? I'm not gonna spend all day carrying your bags watching you two shop and get pampered. This is my free day too! I wanna spend it doing something fun!"

"Um," Murph interrupted, raising his hand meekly. It wasn't a big argument but Murph still hated seeing his friends fight. "Why don't we all go to the mall? That way, Solana and Leilani can go shopping, and you, Freddie, and Percy can still participate in your tournament. I mean, it's not the same as playing it wirelessly at home but it could still be fun?…I may even get Aria to come."

Solana closed her eyes halfway.

"You had me up until you brought Aria into the picture."

Lunick shrugged.

"Well, I guess that could work… You, Leilani, and Aria can do your…whatever it is you girls do when you go to the mall. And, I can still cream Freddie and Percy in our game. Win-Win, right? This way all of us can still enjoy ourselves without having to compromise our plans. Good thinking, Murph."

Murph smiled weakly.

Solana crossed her arms.

"Fine. I guess it would save money on gas if we all carpool. I would like you to be there with me but Leilani and I really haven't had a day to ourselves to just hang out. Plus, we can all regroup later. Though, I'm not sure how I feel about Aria tagging along."

"Didn't you guys resolve this conflict you had three years ago already?" Lunick asked.

"We were supposed to but we never had the chance because of the whole Shadow Pokémon thing. And then after that we were recovering from our injuries."

"Why didn't you do it afterwards?"

"Well, we were dating afterwards, Lunick."

"That doesn't mean you guys couldn't talk and resolve this problem."

Solana was getting frustrated.

"Look, Lunick. I don't know why but Aria and I never had that meeting. Spenser probably forgot with all the work he had to do to actually schedule us to sit down with a moderator."

Lunick narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"But you appear to remember? Seems more like you were wanting to avoid having the meeting all together? Why is that?"

Solana exhaled loudly and started pushing her boyfriend ahead of her.

"Lunick, I'm not talking about this anymore. We gotta get ready, anyways, so let's get a move on already."

Lunick stepped aside and held his hands up.

"Fine. I never understood what was going on between you two anyway. But I don't think it's wise to just ignore the fact that you guys were supposed to put everything behind you, as Leader had instructed. Unresolved issues manifest into –"

"Lunick!"

"Alright. Alright. Let's go, Minun!"

Plusle and Minun stopped their arguing when Minun's name was called. Slowking then gently rested them on the ground with his Psychic before releasing them from his hold. They both ran over to their rangers and climbed up their shoulders, but continued to glare at one another.

"We'll, uh…pick you up after we get out of our uniforms, Murph." Lunick said.

Muprh held up his hands.

"Oh, no. Don't worry yourselves about me. I'll be fine. I have to talk to Aria about coming with us, remember? I just uh…I'll meet you guys there."

"Are…you sure?" Lunick asked, a little unsure himself.

Murph nodded his head assuredly.

"Yeah. Uh huh. I'll meet you guys there later. I'll have to clear it with Aria…I mean…I have to talk with Aria about it. Yeah, that's all."

Lunick and Solana shared a look before looking back at him.

"O…Kay…" Lunick replied.

"We'll see you later, Murph," Solana waved before walking off with Lunick back to her house.

Murph too continued to wave with a weak smile until his friends were a far enough distance away.

"Slowking?" his partner pokémon asked.

Murph looked down at his pokémon.

"It's fine, Slowking. I'm sure she'll agree to go out with us."

"Slowking? Slowking Slow?"

"Well…I mean…I don't think she'll yell more than usual…"

Slowking folded his arms.

"Slowking Slow! Slowking!"

Murph shook his head.

"We'll be fine, Slowking. I'm sure –"

"Murph, lad!"

Murph turned around and saw Professor Hastings exiting the base. He and Slowking ran back to meet him so that he wouldn't have to walk far to reach him.

"Professor!"

Professor Hastings sighed as he adjusted his glasses.

"Whew! I'm glad I caught you before you got too far, lad."

"Is something wrong, Professor?" Murph asked, concerned.

Professor Hastings shook his head.

"Why, not at all. It may actually be quite good for you, actually. There's been something I've been meaning to ask you, Murph."

"Hm?" Murph was confused.

"You see…" Professor Hastings began. But his cell phone started ringing, abruptly cutting him off.

"Oof! Confound it! Blasted thing's always going off. Excuse me one second, Murph."

Murph nodded patiently as Professor Hastings took his cellular phone out of his lab coat pocket and took the call.

"Hastings…Mhmm…Well, have you tried…I know what _they_ said…You…Listen to me, you tell the President of Silph Co. and Mr. Stone that the Ranger Union only manufactures tools and products for the advancement of pokémon, pokémon rangers, and nature itself. If their products cannot be used in conjunction with the pokémon stylers or the pokémon ranger battle suits then we have nothing else to discuss. I am a Professor and a scientist, not a businessman…...I understand that…But we already have tracking devices installed in our Fine Stylers and dowsing mechanics as well, and we are currently working on even greater projects for the betterment of the Pokémon Ranger Profession and the pokémon world around us. Why, there's even talk of us starting up a school for young people who wish to become Pokémon Rangers instead of Pokémon Trainers. The Union is not looking for any kind of partnership…We do not need to expand the franchise anymore; we have stationed many Pokémon Ranger bases in every region throughout the world! We have enough products being marketed by those who admire our fine rangers. We are not merging with Devon or Silph…Their devices are used for pokémon training; ours are used for the preservation and protection of pokémon and nature. I have nothing more to say to them…Well, you have them take it up with our Chairperson, Erma Tanaka. She is the head of the Ranger Union. I am only the Chief of Technology and PR Representative. I am done with this matter. Good-bye!"

Professor Hastings angrily snapped his flip phone shut and put it back in his coat pocket.

"Is something the matter, Professor?" Murph asked.

"Hm?…Oh nothing. Just corporations trying to feed off of the success of the Ranger Union. Greedy CEOs." Professor Hastings sighed. "If only I had an assistant. Dealing with all this corporate nonsense is really boiling my blood!"

"What about Crysta? Wasn't she your assistant?"

Professor Hastings waved his hand.

"Ah, the lass was never really serious about the job. Was only doing it as an internship for a white-collar profession. I suppose she did her part and served her purpose while she was here but she had had other more important things to move on to. Now I have to do everything at the lab by myself. Such a mess it is in there."

"Why don't you just hire another assistant, Professor?"

Professor Hastings glared at Murph.

"After that Go-Rock Squad spy came in and used my research to aid the Go-Rock Squad and copy all of the mechanics of the pokémon stylers and use it against us?!"

Murph frowned.

"Professor, she wasn't really a spy. There was a listening device in one of your hollowed out old books. That's how the Go-Rock Squad found out our plans."

"And how do you think it got there?" Professor Hastings countered. "The dastardly woman was a double agent!"

Murph began to get scared and held his hands up in defense.

"I…I don't think so, Professor. She really thought it was put there by you to see if she was saying bad things behind your back."

"Bah!" Professor Hastings exclaimed. "She was in cahoots with the blasted team and used my research against me! Why do you think she disappeared after we found out? She was guilty!"

Murph shook his head.

"No, Professor. She was just tired of you judging her. You were always suspicious of her."

"And my suspicions were right! Correct! Free of error! The harlot used my research against us and if I ever see that humbug of a woman again! –"

"Okay, Professor! Okay! Let's not talk about her anymore. You're getting all worked up and excited."

Professor Hastings inhaled deeply before releasing a loud exhale. He lowered his cane back down on the ground after raising it above his head in his excitement. Murph had no idea how much contempt Professor Hastings had for his former assistant. Why, he had more hatred for her than Gordor, who was the boss of the Go-Rock Squad to begin with! If Hastings felt betrayed by anyone, he'd certainly think that it would be guided towards his former colleague.

Maybe that's what happened with his other assistant too. Maybe his suspicions scared her away from working. Professor Hastings could be downright scary when infuriated. Why, Murph would even swear he'd seen smoke coming out of the Professor's ears whenever he blew up.

Professor Hastings adjusted his glasses once more and closed his eyes.

"Quite right, Murph. No need to waste anymore breath on that wretched woman. The point is these girls weren't serious about this job and so they had to leave. Besides, I work fine on my own."

'_I'm not too sure about that,' _Murph thought to himself.

"Um…Professor…You said you wanted to talk to me about something?"

Professor Hastings opened his eyes back up.

"Ah, yes! Thank you for reminding me. It is very important I discuss something with you, Murph."

"Uh…What is it?" he asked still a little nervous.

"Well, lad. As you can see – "

Professor Hastings was again cut off as his cell phone began vibrating again.

"Oof! Blast this cellular device!" Professor Hastings reached into his lab coat pocket once more. "Hello, who is it?!"

No one answered but the phone kept on vibrating in his hands.

"Hello? Hello? Blast this thing!"

"Um…Professor?" Murph said meekly.

"Hm?" He looked at Murph, still holding the vibrating phone to his left ear.

"That's uh…No one's calling you. It's a notification alarm. See the blinking light on the side?"

"Hm?"

Professor Hasting pulled the phone back from his ear and looked at it. It was still vibrating but a blue light was blinking on the side of the silver flip phone. A message was inscribed across the screen.

"Ah, yes! My appointment reminder alarm! Spenser set this up on my phone so that I wouldn't forget all the important events I have scheduled. Now it makes sense." He said excitedly. "I'm sorry. I'm not hip with the workings of a cellular device. I'm more savvy when it comes to the mechanics and engineering of the stylers." He added, embarrassingly.

The Professor put his cell phone back inside his lab coat pocket. "As it stands, we'll have to continue this conversation another time, Murph. I have a board of directors meeting scheduled with the other heads of the Ranger Union about an important matter and I must make haste."

Murph smiled weakly.

"O-Oh. It's alright, Professor. Gotta do your job, right? We can talk whenever it's convenient for you."

"You've got a good spirit, lad. We will talk but for now, I must be going. Enjoy your day off." He said as he started walking away.

"Thank you, Professor." Murph waved. "And try not to stress yourself out too much, okay?"

"Stress is a natural part of life, lad. It's all how you manage it." He yelled from a distance.

Murph watched him leave for a while before his Slowking patted him on his leg.

"Slowking. Slowing Slow."

Murph thumped himself.

"Oh! You're right! We're supposed to be meeting back up with Solana and Lunick. I've got to go tell Aria."

And with that, Murph quickly sprinted off in the direction of Fall City. Slowking followed behind him, shaking his head all the way.

* * *

Solana and Leilani had spent the greater part of the morning going through the various outlets in the Fall City Mall. They went shopping for clothes, shopping for skin products, both got manicures and pedicures done, got a couple's massage – they were just absolutely splurging themselves before sitting down in one of the seating areas in the center of the gigantic mall and having a late lunch.

"I'm telling you, Solana. You should have so bought that negligee."

"For what? I'm fine sleeping in my sleep shirts," Solana replied as she took a sip of her mango pineapple smoothie.

"I bet he'd be even happier if you wore a teddy?"

"Leilani!" Solana exclaimed. "Lunick and I are not involved like that. We don't even sleep in the same bed when he stays over. He sleeps on my sofa."

"But he does spend the night there sometimes?" Leilani insisted. "Might be nice to wear something a little suggestive. Oh, I know! A babydoll! That would be so perfect. It's so innocent looking and yet tantalizing at the same time. He's already seen you in one kind of sheer fabric, so I know he'd be pleased."

"Leilani! That was the only nightie I had at the time and Lunick was already embarrassed enough."

"Hint, hint," Leilani said impishly.

A faint blush appeared on Solana's cheeks.

"Leilani," Solana began as she lowered her Styrofoam cup down on the table. "No. The sleep shirts are fine. Even Lunick's T-Shirts and jerseys. They're all really comfortable to sleep in without being overly risqué."

Leilani placed her hands on the table, knowing she was not going to win this argument. She then picked up a Kappa Ebisen chip _(a crunchy, shrimp-flavored snack resembling french fries that is very popular in Japan) _and popped it in her mouth. Then she took a bite out of one of her onigiri rice balls and wiped her hands clean.

"Well then, if you're not gonna go for the lingerie, at least go to Vixen's Confession and get yourself some pretty panties. You and Lunick still have your date tonight and I know you're not gonna wear those granny panties underneath your LBD."

Solana looked even more flustered. "Leilani!"

"Mhmm…Let me guess, cotton, with little pink hearts on it? Something only appropriate for a little girl's pajama party? Am I right?"

"Leilani, what does what I'm wearing _underneath_ the dress have to do with anything? It's not like he's going to see it anyway."

"Girlfriend, it's not about what he's seeing…_yet_…" Leilani said with emphasis. "It's about you knowing that you got it going on. It's about feeling sexy underneath your clothes."

"Lunick doesn't care what I'm wearing. He thinks I look good in anything, however plain it may be."

Leilani shook her head. "Sole, you're not listening to me."

She reached into one of her bags and picked out something that was more lace than any other fabric. "When you wear something like this, its YDLS."

"YDLS?"

"Your Dirty Little Secret, girl! It'll make you feel sexy, and if you feel sexy, it'll rub off on your man, and if he should get the chance to see –"

"Leilani!" Solana screamed.

Leilani shrugged and put the amorous undergarment back in her shopping bag.

"I'm just saying. The little black dress is sexy, shows off a lot of skin both in the front and the back, and it's short. Why not go the extra mile and wear something a little more stimulating?"

"I can't believe you bought that." Solana squeaked.

"There's nothing wrong with wearing a little lace, Solana. I bought one for you too."

"What?!"

"YDLS. Feeling sexy on the inside. It'll be even more invigorating once your boy sees it."

If Solana wasn't completely flustered before, she was now.

"Leilani, Lunick and I are not having sex."

"_Yet_." She emphasized again before eating another Kappa Ebisen chip.

"I am not wearing that. End of discussion."

"Fine. Then get the teddy or the babydoll."

"Leilani! End of discussion!"

Leilani shrugged.

"Fine." She said as she took a long drag on her Nanab berry smoothie.

Solana sighed in annoyance. Leilani knew exactly how to push all her buttons and make her fluster. She loved her friend but she just couldn't tolerate talk about these sorts of things for too long.

Solana tried to shake the embarrassment off and change the subject.

"So, how was the capture challenge last night?"

Leilani rested her cup down.

"It was fine. I absolutely crushed Percy in the Arena. 80 to 165. He didn't stand a chance."

"Wow, that's pretty low."

Again Leilani shrugged and took her drink up for a sip.

"That's probably because he was distracted most of the time."

"By what?"

Leilani paused and put her smoothie back down on the table.

"Well, after you and Lunick left to go on your anniversary date, which, I'm gonna need more detail on by the way on account of that beautiful sapphire necklace you got dangling around your neck, this guy walked in backstage. He said he enjoyed the show and all but really, heh, he was there macking on me."

Solana gasped.

"What, really?"

Leilani nodded.

"I mean, I could see that he was interested, he was very obvious with his flirting. And, uh…Hey, I didn't mind it either. He tagged along with us to the Capture Arena and was cheering me on and everything. That's what probably had Percy hot under the collar and why he performed so badly. Percy says this guy's got bad mojo or he's bad news or something like that, but I think he's just overreacting to his bluntness. He's really not a bad guy at all. And not a hair out of place too. "

Solana raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Was that a twinkle I saw in your eyes? Am I detecting some affectionate fondness from you, Leilani?"

Leilani giggled.

"Well, he is attractive. And he was gracing me with compliments back-to-back all night. I mean, what girl wouldn't like that?"

Solana's smiled broadened.

"You like him."

"I find him attractive."

"You like him." She singsonged.

"I find him endearing."

"You like him."

"He is intriguing."

"You like him!" Solana shouted excitedly.

Leilani broke out into a huge smile herself and a loud laugh escaped from her mouth.

"Okay! Fine! I like the guy!"

"Yes!" Solana happily exclaimed. "Details! Details!"

Leilani brought her lips back together.

"Well, there isn't much to say, we only just met yesterday. So, there's not much I know about him other than he had a rough childhood growing up."

"Aww," Solana sighed sadly.

"Yeah, but he's a really cool dude. I'm not saying we're gonna be dating or anything, like I said, I don't really know him. But I can't say I wouldn't like to get to know him better? I dunno…But right now, I'd say the prospects of that maybe happening are definitely in my favor…I mean, considering his blatant fondness of me…hehe…Did I mention he's a really cool dude?" Leilani felt like she had Butterfree in her stomach.

Solana's smile returned.

"Oh, that's so cute. Leilani, you've gotta crush."

Leilani shook her strongly.

"It's not a crush. It's a physical attraction. Like I said, I don't know Alejandro all that well. But I wouldn't mind hanging out with him again either."

"But you speak so whimsically about him?" Solana teased as she put her elbows on the table and held her head up with her hands.

Leilani gave her a lazy look. "It's not a crush."

"Hmm…" Solana cocked her head to the side, still holding her head in her hands, "How does it feel to be on the opposite end of the spectrum?"

"What are you talking abou –" Leilani was about to ask before finally realizing what Solana was saying.

She smiled too.

"That was different. You and Lunick were crushing hard on each other and were meant to be together."

"And who's to say you and this Alejandro fellow aren't meant to be as well?" she countered.

Leilani shook her head.

"Girl, at least let me size him up first and enjoy being able to like someone without having to worry about my heart getting broken?"

Solana's smile slowly turned into a frown. She let her arms fall on the table.

"Oh, Leilani. I'm so sorry. I almost completely forgot about – "

Leilani waved her hand to brush it off.

"Don't worry about it, girl. I've, uh…I've learned to respect that he doesn't feel the same way about me. I just wish he picked someone better than that condescending bitch. Murphy deserves better than that thing." Leilani grumbled.

Solana lowered her eyes too.

"I…I can't speak for why Murph would put up with her or even why he wanted to be with her…but…It's not our place to question their relationship, I guess. Or at least that's what Lunick tells me."

"I'd say we have every right. We're his friends. She doesn't treat him right."

"Evenso, we can't interfere, Leilani. Like I told you before, Murph knows how to handle himself. He knew what he was getting into with Aria."

"Yeah, a death sentence," Leilani spat out, "She is going to kill that boy with her insults. Murph is a very sensitive person, Sole. That girl just don't care. She don't. And that's what's so messed up."

"Leilani, whatever goes on between those two is their business. I don't like it anymore than you do, but unless Murph decides for himself that he won't take anymore of her crap, there is nothing we can do."

Solana could see Leilani crushing her empty smoothie Styrofoam cup with her right hand and she knew she had to try and calm her friend down.

She put her hand over Leilani's left one.

"Hey, how about we go and get you that tank we saw in that store? It looked really good on you?"

Leilani put her crumpled cup on the table.

"I'd rather go get that babydoll teddy for you."

"Leilani! We are not having this discussion again!"

"You don't have to wear it to bed. Lunick doesn't even have to see it. Just wear it under your clothes, and maybe, after a heated make-out session, Lunick may take notice that –"

Solana put her hands over her ears. She went ahead and opened that door when she suggested they go clothe shopping again.

"Leilani, no! I'm not talking about this anymore!"

"YDLS, Solana. YDLS!"

"I don't care!"

The two girls' debate was interrupted as Lunick, Murph, Percy, and Freddie came running down the corridor to meet them. A little girl was at Freddie's side, holding his hand.

Lunick gave Solana a kiss on the cheek before making a victory pose behind her.

"Aw-yeah! Babe, I absolutely demolished these guys in the tournament."

"Stop gloating, Lunick." Percy said irritably.

"You're just mad that you lost ten seconds into the round. Sore loser."

"Well, you're a sore winner!"

"How am I a sore winner?"

"Guys, enough," Freddie interjected. "Just admit defeat, Percy. It's all in good fun."

"Especially when you win!" Lunick said as he pumped his fists in the air. "Oh yeah…Uh Huh...I rock! I so rock! I am the ultimate samurai king warrior! I have succeeded in my conquest! Victory is mine! Yeah! Whew!"

"Amp it down a little, Lunick," Solana hushed.

Murph nervously started rubbing the back of his neck.

"Um…Solana?…Leilani?…I…I-I'm sorry…I wasn't able to get Aria to come along with us. She, uh…she said she had better things to do than come here and shop."

Leilani scowled. She knew Murph toned it down so not to make Aria sound like the evil bitch she was.

"It's okay, Murphy. We weren't really looking forward to hanging out with her anyway."

"What do you mean?" Murph asked, confused.

"That…Leilani and I still had fun and enjoyed ourselves even without her being here. So, it's all good, Murph," Solana cut in before Leilani could respond. Showing their mutual disdain for Aria in front of Murph would not be in his best interest at the moment.

"Leilani!" A voice called from a distance.

All the teens turned back to see a young man in his early twenties walk into the circle. He had electric neon blue highlights in his jet black hair and was wearing a blue jogging suit. A golden chain with a 'V' hung from his neck and rested on his chest.

He saddled himself right behind Leilani's chair.

"Man, this place is huge. I'm finally glad I found you."

Percy narrowed his eyes.

"What are you doing here, Alejandro?"

"Hey, check the attitude, Percy. I don't like attitude." He replied, offended.

Leilani turned around in her seat.

"Oh, didn't I tell you, Percy? I invited Alejandro to come out with us since it's our day off and all. Told him to meet us here at the mall."

"This is Alejandro?" Solana asked quietly.

"Yeah, girl. Sorry. Completely slipped my mind that I invited him to come down here."

Solana singsonged in a hushed tone, "Because you like him."

"Shhhh!" she whispered back. "Guys, this is Alejandro Vásquez. Percy and I met him last night during the intermission of the show. Alejandro, these are my friends and fellow pokémon ranger colleagues."

"I know who you guys are," he said nodding. He started naming them, "You're Solana Tsuki and you're Lunick Kaneko, you know, Fiore's famous heroes and all. You're, uh…Actually, I don't know who you other two are."

"I'm Freddie," Freddie answered.

"And I'm Murph. It's nice to meet you, Alejandro." He said cheerily.

"Pleasure's all mine, Murph. Meeting the people who help keep this world safe. It's an honor." His eyes then drifted to the little girl holding Freddie's hand.

"And, uh…what about this little squirt?"

"That's Freddie's daughter, Niema," Leilani answered.

"Whoa, you got a kid?!" Alejandro said, clearly surprised. "Ain't you like seventeen or something?"

"Yes." Freddie said firmly.

Alejandro waved his hands defensively.

"Oh, man. Major respect, dude. I know that can't be easy. Believe me. So, where's the kid's mother?"

Everybody's eyes shot up at that question, as they were all well aware of Freddie's situation with her.

"My Mommy's got tings she's working on right now and can't be wit us," Niema said sadly.

"Aww, that's too bad." Alejandro said sadly as well, "Believe me, kid. I know what it's like not to have parents."

Niema gripped her father's hand tighter and grew fearful.

"I have parents! My Mommy's just working right now. Dat's what my Daddy says. Mommy's working on herself. Dat's why she's not wit us."

"We're fine. Alejandro. Really," Freddie said quickly. He didn't want to upset his daughter anymore than she already was from that statement.

"Alejandro's from Kanto." Leilani said, trying to break the tension caused by Alejandro's unawaringly inappropriate question and lack of tact. "He used to live in Celadon City before moving to Veilstone City in Sinnoh before finally coming here to Fiore recently."

"My brother is a pokémon breeder in Sinnoh," Solana commented.

"That's cool." Alejandro said. "You're from Sinnoh?"

"No, I'm originally from Orre. I moved over to Fiore myself to become a Pokémon Ranger."

Alejandro nodded. "I've been to Orre. Pyrite Town. Spent some time there before going to Sinnoh. It's a beautiful island."

"Very beautiful," Solana agreed.

"It's far too. Gotta travel for days before even reaching the region. It's like a distant land or something."

"It is kinda off the grid but that has more to do with its history and origins."

Alejandro again nodded.

"Yeah, yeah. I see what you're saying. Seems like a nice place to vacation to. Maybe I'll go back someday."

Solana nodded too, then turned her attention back to the little girl who was holding Freddie by his hand. The little girl had caramel brown skin and light brown hair done up in two curly pigtails. She was wearing a purple dress, a frilly jean jacket, white stockings, and purple Mary Jane shoes. She was still frowning from the conversation about her mother.

"Hey there, sweetie," Solana said cheerfully as she held her arms out.

The little girl's face lit up and she instantly ran over to Solana and hugged her.

"Auntie 'Lana!" the little girl cried as she was pulled up into Solana's lap.

"How're you doing there, honeybunch?" she said, trying her best to cheer the little girl up.

"Daddy took me to da Horsea down at da fron' of da mall and lemme ride on 'is back."

"I remember when I used to ride Horsea when I was younger. That was so fun."

"It was willy fun!" the little girl said excitedly.

Freddie folded his arms.

"Yeah, I had to bring her along with us guys. Once she found out I had the day off, she picked at me constantly for a day of fun."

"Nah, it's cool. We love seeing lil' Nay," Lunick said as tousled her hair, much to her displeasure. Minun then jumped in her lap and she instantly cuddled with the little electric mouse.

"You know, if you're still having sitter problems, you know any of us would happily look after her when we're not on the job?" Leilani offered.

Freddie smiled. "Thank you. I appreciate it, guys. You know I do. But only if you guys are available and able to. We all have to work. We all have the same job. I do have her go down to the little Pokémon Breeder Center in Ringtown. They offer daycare services for children too and it gives Niema a chance to play and interact with the baby pokémon and still be supervised. I just can't afford a babysitter right now, but hopefully that'll change soon."

"Hey! I don' need no babysitta! I not no baby, Daddy!" the three-year old complained.

"You're right, Niema. You're a big girl now. But you still need looking after."

Niema started petting Minun on his head, causing him to purr in delight.

"Daddy, can I get my own pokémon now?"

"No, baby."

Niema stopped petting, Minun and crossed her arms, upset. Minun sighed as the petting stopped but he still remained in the little girl's lap.

"Why not?!" she demanded.

"Because you're not old enough to have a pokémon of your own. Besides, we do have a pokémon. We have Weavile. Don't we, pal?" he said as he looked down at his partner pokémon.

The Weavile nodded.

"Weavile! Weave!"

Freddie's daughter shook her head.

"Weavy spen' more time wit you at work dan wit me. I don't get to play wit anyone. Only wit the pokés at da centa. It's not fair!"

"Niema, when you get a little older maybe we can talk about getting you a pokémon, but for right now it's not gonna happen, baby."

Niema still kept her arms folded. Minun then hopped from the little girl's lap to the ground.

Suddenly, a lady wearing a stylish white business suit appeared in front of the group. She had big round shades over her eyes and was carrying a narrow black briefcase.

"Pardon me, lovelies," the woman said as she entered the group. She spoke in what appeared to be a German-like accent. "But might you be the pokémon rangers who performed for the Hearts and Souls Foundation last night?"

"Y-Yes…We are," Solana answered.

The woman smile broadly.

"Perfect." She removed her gigantic shades, revealing her emerald green eyes.

Leilani immediately gasped.

"Oh my God! Victorian Starsi!"

"Who?" Solana whispered.

"Victorian Starsi! She is a fashion maven! She's an expert in all things fashion. One of the greatest fashion designers ever to have existed. _Trainers Magazine_, _PokéDays, Affairs of the Heart, Noir Dior, Reflections, Built for Heath_! She's the head editor-in-chief of all of those magazines and more! Victorian Starsi is the fashion maven of the world! She even discovered Elesa of Unova! She's a fashion legend!" Leilani exclaimed.

"Indeed, I am. Thank you for that wondrous introduction, lovely," Victorian said with a smile, "I must say, I was very impressed with you young people the way you performed yesterday. I was on my way to a casting call for many of our various projects, but you teens caught my eye. There is something…Very appealing about you. There are many campaigns my agencies are currently running and working on and I believe you rangers should be booked as models for three of them. Commercial modeling at best, of course. Maybe advertising but we talk details later."

"Models?!" Leilani shrieked as she pulled on her braids.

"Of course, the first will only be a testing photo shoot, you all will be needing to build your portfolios before we move on to the final photo shoot. But I think you all fit the bill nicely. And I am not just saying this because two of you are Fiore's esteemed heroes."

Leilani was freaking out. "Oh my God! A model! I'm gonna be a model for Victorian Starsi! I can't believe it!"

"Awesome!" Lunick exclaimed.

Victorian felt her pager vibrating and scowled. She quickly took out her business card and handed it to Solana before handing one to each of the remaining rangers.

"You take this. We will be in the Fall City Cruqué Studio this week. I'll have you work with my photographer Gisela Ezpreza and my creative consultant Raúl Gardoza. I highly advise you come." She said as she looked at them. Then she frowned when she saw Murph.

"Uh, except you, young man. You do not have what we're looking for in a model."

"O-Oh…Okay. Not a problem," Murph said shyly.

She looked at Percy as well.

"Neither do you. We have a certain image to uphold for these campaigns and you do not meet the criteria of what they are looking for."

Percy shrugged.

"Whatever."

Starsi put back on her shades.

"I must be going now. The date and time of the shoot is on the back of the cards. Be there on time or don't be there at all. But you will be missing up on a glorious opportunity."

"We'll be there! We'll be there!" Leilani exclaimed. "Right, Solana?"

Solana bit her lower lip.

"Uh…right…Would hate to disappoint." She said uneasily.

"Superb." Said Victorian. The fashion maven started walking away, "And they are for a good cause, lovelies. I must be off now. But I repeat myself: Be there on time or don't be there at all. And I mean it!"

Leilani could not stop squealing. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe I'm going to be a model! A model for Victorian Starsi of all people! Representing Victorian Starsi!"

"Yeah, you got that in the bag, 'Lani," Alejandro said excitedly, happy for her. "You're definitely model material!"

Niema hopped out of Solana's lap and ran over to her father, vigorously shaking his hand.

"Dat true, Daddy? You gon be a model like da people we see in da magazines?"

Freddie chuckled.

"I…guess so. Probably just promotional material. Nothing fancy, sweetie."

"But you gon be in a magazine, Daddy!"

Again, Freddie chuckled.

"I've been in magazines before, Niema."

"Yeah, but dat was work stuff. Dis is fashion stuff."

"And what do you know about fashion?"

"More dan you, Daddy," she replied smartly before pulling him by his hand. "C'mon, Daddy! I gotta teach yah some poses an' stuff for da fancy lady or you never be on da cover of a magazine again! Then you be so upset, I never get my pokémon. C'mon, Daddy! C'mon!"

Still laughing, Freddie thought he'd humor his daughter since she was in such a good mood now.

He looked back at the others.

"So, uh…I guess I'll be seeing you guys tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure Freddie," Lunick answered, looking confusingly at the business card Victorian had handed him.

Freddie nodded back before disappearing in the crowd of mall shoppers.

"WHOO-HOO!" Leilani howled. "I am going to be a fashion model! I can't believe it! Uh-Uh! I am going to be a fashion model! I feel like singing! Let's go singing! We have to celebrate! Let's go celebrate! AH! I'm gonna be a fashion model!"

Leilani happily sprinted away, Alejandro excitingly and quickly following behind her.

Percy shook his head.

"I hope she's not thinking of going where I think she's going."

"Hey, she's happy. Let her enjoy herself," Murph replied.

Percy shrugged.

"Yeah, well. I still don't like this Alejandro fellow. I'm gonna go find them and make sure Leilani keeps her head on straight." Percy said as he started walking away.

Murph watched him go, then looked back at Solana and Lunick.

"Uh…you guys wanna go join Leilani and Percy wherever they're going?"

Lunick fanned himself with the card before putting it in his pants pocket.

"If Solana's game, sure. Why not? Solana?"

Solana didn't respond. She looked almost transfixed by the card.

"Solana?"

Solana was still focused on the card. She wasn't moving at all, which was concerning to Lunick. He pulled up a chair beside her and sat next to her.

"Uh, Murph? How 'bout you go ahead with them, meanwhile?"

Murph looked at his watch.

"Actually, I have to be getting back to Aria's. Daily massages for Meowphy, remember?"

"Okay. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, man."

Murph nodded to his friend before walking away in the opposite direction that led to the elevator that took shoppers down to the lower level.

Lunick placed his hands on top of Solana's while Plusle and Minun jumped on the table in front of them. She was still holding tightly onto the card.

"Solana? Baby?…Are you alright?"

Solana barely opened her mouth to say something, but still nothing.

"What's wrong, Babe?" Lunick asked again, this time touching the card with his right index finger and thumb, attempting to gently lower it down.

"Solana?"

Lunick's light tugging on the card was enough to snap Solana out of her trance.

"Huh? What?" she said perplexed.

Lunick took the card from between her hands and placed it on the table.

"What's wrong, Solana?"

Solana vigorously shook her head and blinked twice before rubbing her eyes, as if staring at the card for so long affected her vision and upset her head.

"What do you mean?" she asked as she reopened her eyes.

"You like, zoned out there for a moment. Actually, I don't know how long it was. It's like you weren't aware of your surroundings ever since that fashion lady Starsi gave you her business card."

Solana looked back down at the card.

"With the appointment of the photo shoot." She said softly.

Lunick's frown deepened as he started to get a sense of what was going on.

"Is this what's buggin' you? Modeling?"

"I…" she stammered. "…I…I mean…It's a photo shoot."

"We've taken pictures for magazines before?"

"Yeah, celebrity print magazines. Pictures taken covering our escapades as a ranger, not fashion editorials advertising, appealing, and marketing to the public. I'm not a couture model, I'm not a glamour model, I'm not a runway model, I'm not anything!"

Lunick held her hands again.

"Whoa, calm down, Solana."

"I have fashion magazines but that doesn't mean I'm qualified to be a model! Those girls, they're pretty and sexy and gorgeous and they know how and what to do with their bodies and I can't do that! I can't have all that focus on me! I can't take pictures for _Versace, Noir Dior,_ and _Vouge_; I'm not like gravure idols or fitness models. I'm just…I'm just!…"

"Solana!" Lunick rested his hands on his girlfriend's shoulders. "Calm down. Deep breaths. Deep breaths, Babe. Please. Deep breaths."

Solana complied with his request to try and calm herself down but he could see that she was shaking and that her cheeks were wet.

"You don't need to stress out about this. We're not doing couture and we are for sure not doing anything editorial. We're not models. Most likely this is just a promotional gig or commercial advertising, like Freddie said. The lady said it was for a good cause. And after the charity event we had last night, this may just be another opportunity to raise awareness for something important. We've done appearances like that before? Haven't we?"

Solana continued to try and slow her breathing.

"But we've never done a photo shoot. They're going to be taking pictures of us. Of me."

"We've taken pictures for magazines before?"

"Photo…Shoot, Lunick! Means modeling! I am not a model. Famous photographers and creative consultants are not needed in the pictures taken by the press. I'm not…I'm not built like a model and I'm not pretty like a model."

Lunick put his hand under her chin and brought her up to face him.

"Hey…You are beautiful…You are gorgeous. Don't you ever question that."

Solana turned away from him and started wiping her face with her hands.

"Look, Solana. If it is causing you this much anxiety, then maybe we shouldn't do the photo shoot."

Solana immediately looked back up at him.

"What?! No! I have to do it. Leilani is so excited. And it's for some kind of good cause."

"None of that is worth compromising your health or making you feel uncomfortable. Who cares what some snooty fashion editor thinks? And Leilani will understand. Sure, it would be nice to get a cover on a flashy magazine, but really, we don't need the exposure or extra publicity."

Solana sniffled. "No…I want to do it…I'm just afraid." She said softly.

"You just said you can't deal with the pressure –"

"Because I'm afraid! I mean…I don't know!…I could sing to thousands of people in a concert but I can't take a couple pictures for a magazine?…What's wrong with me?!" Solana asked as she held her head and sobbed quietly.

Lunick watched her silently for a moment and rubbed her back gently, allowing her to get the emotions out. Then, he once again took her hands in his.

"Let's not worry about the photo shoot for now. Let's just focus on enjoying the rest of our work-free day together."

Solana again sniffled, still staring at the appointment card on the table.

Seeing that she was still obsessing about it, Lunick took up the card and placed it in his pants pocket with the other one.

"Lunick?…Wha?" Solana said confused.

"No more stressing. How's 'bout we go see a movie? Take your mind off of today?"

"I don't really feel like going out anywhere…To be honest, I'd rather curl up in a ball in my room."

"O…Kay…Well, we're not gonna isolate ourselves. How about we go back to my house and we can just lie down on my couch, listening to ocean wave soundscapes to relax you and get all zenned out? I'll even throw in some hot chocolate with marshmellows?"

That made her smile.

"Would you mind?"

"Why would I?"

Solana rested her head on his chest and Lunick wrapped his arms around her.

"Can we go to my house instead? I just feel more at peace in my own home."

"Then your home we shall go."

Solana sat back up.

"I love you, Lunick."

"I love you too," he replied before they both shared a tender kiss.

Lunick stood up.

"Come on. Let's go. Time to give my GF a full afternoon and evening of lovin'."

"Hmm." Solana said as she threw away her and Leilani's uneaten food and empty cups in the trashcan.

"You need me to help you carry your bags?"

Solana turned around to see Lunick picking up her various shopping bags. Then she realized Leilani had forgotten her bags there as well when she sprinted off. She quickly ran over to his side and picked up her bags so Lunick wouldn't see what was in them.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing. It's just Leilani forgot some of her stuff and I know she wouldn't want you looking at them. In fact…"

She reached for the bags that Lunick was holding as well. "I think I'll carry mine's too."

"Well now you've got me interested." He said slyly, appearing to peek inside one of her shopping bags.

Solana gasped. "Lunick!"

Lunick lowered the bags back down.

"I'm only kidding. Isn't this what you wanted me to do earlier, anyway? Carry your many shopping bags?"

"Lunick, please –"

"I'm not gonna look in your bags, Solana. Okay? It was a joke. We really need to get you home to listen to those beach sounds. You're so jumpy. My goodness. What do you got in here? Sexy lingerie or something? Geez!" he asked sarcastically as he started walking away with Minun.

Solana exhaled softly before following behind Lunick and Minun with Plusle.

Lunick had no idea just how close to home he was with that last statement.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay! I know there are a lot of things crammed into this one chapter but it will smooth out. I promise. I am going to take my time exploring every character's inner emotional conflicts as well as their external ones and even their backstories. This chapter may seem like a filler, but really, everything mentioned in this chapter is relevant to the story, even though you can't see it right now (or maybe some of you have picked up on a few things already). I'm not going to spoil anything else in the story but I will say that this story will be more realistic and intense than _Inevitable Love._ Every issue they face, whether internal (mental) or external (physical), is relatable to everyone on some level and there is also a reason and/or a backstory for why they are the way they are. Also, all the surnames of the characters are completely my own. So their last names are only canon in my stories. Just thought I'd bring that up in case there was any speculation since the characters real last names are never mentioned in either the manga or the short cameos Solana had in the anime (as far as I know).

There are going to be some flaws considering the modeling aspect in the beginning of the story because I am not depicting the process of the photo shoots and the process of modeling in general following what traditionally and what normally would happen in the real world, rather, how it fits in with the pokémon fantasy world and how it would be represented within it. I do name a few real world fashion brands and magazines, but in essence, the procedure of modeling, in this story at least, is not in line with the real-life process of doing casting calls, going on go-sees, and meeting with the designers. I just felt it imperative that I make that clear.

Just as with the pokémon anime and manga I'm going to be incorporating some Japanese customs and Japanese dishes into the story like I did at the end of _Inevitable Love_. Even though this is my own story, I do want to touch on some of the things that are mentioned in both the pokémon world and the real world. But I will have other cultures blended in there as well, not just Japanese (e.g. Lunick's love of Italian meatballs and corndogs). Also, the minor OC Victorian Starsi does have a German accent but I do not want to incorrectly or inaccurately represent how certain words would be pronounced through text, such as "zee" for "the" and "zat" for "that". So I hope you guys are able to hear or imagine her accent, even though I am not writing it out phonetically. And if not, well, it doesn't really matter. You can read it with an English or American accent or with any accent. Whatever you feel most comfortable with.

I know Christmas has already passed. I don't think I'll be able to get the Pokémon Ranger Christmas story uploaded before the New Year's, unfortunately. So I apologize for that. I really did try but life has been messing with me a lot lately. But I do hope to publish it soon. I won't estimate as to when because, again, life, but I will try to get it published as soon as possible.

With that said, Happy Holidays Everyone! Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and will have a prosperous new year!

Best Wishes to All of You!

Please Don't Forget to Review!

And Always Do Everything With Love

XyKPfan


	3. Chapter 3

"Come on, Aria! We're going to be late!" Šárka cried from the other side of her teammate's bathroom door.

The ivory door suddenly flew open. With a scream, Aria angrily threw what appeared to be a misshapen, stretched out wire hanger outside the bathroom. It hit the heliotrope colored carpet floor with a faint tinny clank as it spattered specks of contaminated water on the floor near the top of the stairs. For the past twenty minutes, Aria had twisted, manipulated, and maneuvered the clothe hanger in a myriad of different shapes trying to hook her silver ring and pull it out of the unflushed toilet bowl. Her futile efforts had only frustrated and nauseated her more. In the end, the clothe hanger only wasted Aria's time, making her later than she already was. Her friend Šárka had been there the entire time waiting for her and she knew the younger ranger wasn't happy about that.

Since her days of training Šárka as a ranger, the two of them developed a very close bond. Aria was never close with any of the other rangers, especially Serena and Leilani. Her one-time friendship with Jenna didn't last very long, with Jenna complaining that she was mean after working on two missions together with her. Aria didn't really care; the girl was too weak for her anyway. Aria didn't enjoy being a pariah, especially since her line of work called for her to be social, interactive, and even cordial with the other rangers. But she had learned to live with the fact that her fellow student rangers didn't consider her personable and didn't want to be around her. Mostly, she felt because they didn't understand her. Even though she felt a sort of emptiness from the lack of companionship, Aria grew accustomed, and to a certain degree, liked being by her lonesome. It wasn't until Šárka signed up to be a ranger and Aria became her mentor that she began to understand just what exactly it meant to have a friend, or at the very least, a companion. Šárka was just as snappy, outspoken, and just as much of a spitfire as Aria was, and yet, they still clicked. Aria could vent to her about anything and everything and Šárka would justify her rants before going on about her own. In fact, Šárka was like Aria in almost every way, except she wasn't labeled as a bitch like she was. But it was through Šárka that she understood what a friend was. And Aria was glad to finally have someone as an ally instead of enemy.

Way off down the hall, the wall clock chimed. It was eight o' clock. She wasn't even dressed yet and she was already running late for work, not to mention the twenty minute walk it would take to get from her house to the Fall City Ranger Base.

Šárka stepped inside the frame of the bathroom door and crossed her arms.

"You're going to have to put your hand inside if you want to get that ring back." She said flatly.

Aria gagged.

"No, way! I am not putting my hand in that murky water."

"You shouldn't have left the ring so close to the toilet in the first place. Let's just go already. We're already late for our morning report. Joel is gonna be on our asses."

"I'm not leaving without it!" Aria snapped back. Closing her eyes, Aria eased her hand haltingly but gingerly in the toilet bowl before quickly lifting it back up.

"Just do it!" Šárka yelled.

Sighing heavily, Aria once again lowered her hand in the toilet bowl. But once her yellow rubber gloves touched the cool water she immediately yanked her hand back out and threw off the gloves.

"Eww! Eww! Yuck! Disgusting! Eww!" she cried, hysterically.

Rolling her eyes, Šárka walked inside the bathroom.

"Tangie. Lilly. Come here, please."

Two grass-type pokémon quickly appeared at the bathroom doorway. One was a very large pokémon encompassed completely in blue vines. The other was smaller in size and more elegant looking, donning a red flower on its head with golden filaments resembling a crown.

"Tangie, can you come over here? Aria needs your help. Lilly, sweetie, you can just stay there and look pretty."

The flowering pokémon known as Lilligant nodded and stayed waiting in the doorframe while the pokémon filled with plant vines stepped inside and walked into the bathroom near Šárka.

"Be a dear, Tangie and use your Power Whip to get that dingy ring out of the toilet for Aria, please?"

The Tangrowth nodded its head in obedience as its arms and a couple of the blue vines that made up its body suddenly glowed purple. The Vine pokémon then dipped one vine into the toilet filled with Aria's waste and easily pulled out a silver ring, dripping with unclean toilet water.

"EWW! EWWWW!" Aria shrieked.

Šárka opened Aria's vanity doors and pulled out a small plastic tub and a bottle of disinfectant. She bitterly poured the strongly pine scented green liquid into the pink tub and filled it with the disinfectant. Her Tangrowth then immediately dropped the stained ring into the tub without hesitation.

"You're welcome," Šárka said irritably as she took out a scalpel out of her pack and started to cut off the part of her Tangrowth's vine that had been in the toilet filled with Aria's egesta.

Aria still wore a face of disgust as she got off of the floor, flushed the toilet, and went to wash her hands.

"That was so disgusting! I can't believe you made your pokémon do that."

"Well, we weren't getting anywhere with you freaking out about it and we're already late for work as it is. Tangie couldn't care less what her vines touch so long as she gets the job done."

Aria went to dry her hands as she watched Šárka cut off Tangrowth's vine with a lancet and the tainted vine fall to the floor.

Aria cringed.

"How could you do that?! You're cutting off a piece of your pokémon!"

"Does Tangrowth look like she's in pain to you?" Šárka asked irritably as she dropped the broken vine into the trash with a latex glove before taking off the glove and disposing of it herself.

The Tangrowth seemed unfazed by the vine being cut and tucked the rest of its vines away.

"Tangie's vines are an extension of her body. Of course she wouldn't feel any pain. And the vines will quickly grow back anyway. She is made up of vines but cutting one off is like cutting a fingernail. Maybe other pokémon who are not enclosed in an overgrowth of creeping plant vines would feel pain. But again, that's because Tangie has no nerves in her vines as other pokémon do."

Šárka then went to go wash her hands as Aria stepped outside to get dressed and put on her ranger uniform.

"I don't even know why we had to go through all this trouble of getting that cheap ring. You should've just flushed it down the toilet with the other waste."

Aria slipped on her brown work glovelettes.

"Murph gave me that ring. He'd be really upset if I just disposed of it."

Šárka snorted as she stepped outside the bathroom. "Yeah, the cheap ring with an imitation gem on it. You said it yourself you hated the fact that he got you something that can be categorized as costume jewelry, with its fake silver and embarrassing Cubic Zirconia gemstone."

Aria put on her stylish brown belt. "It is a cheap disgusting ring and I hate it. But he bought it for me and it's the only time anyone's given me anything."

Šárka sarcastically replied, "Aww. So because you never felt affection from anyone before, you're cherishing the one gift anyone's ever gotten you. And that's why it's a keepsake. How sentimental and sweet."

"Shut it, Šárka! Don't turn this into a pity, sappy thing about me! Lardo gave it to me and had the word "love" engraved in it. I'm trying to spare his feelings by not just dumping the damn thing into the trash with the other garbage!"

Šárka folded her arms again with a small grin.

"Now that's the Aria I know. Snippy. But seriously, calling Murph lardo? Isn't that a bit harsh?"

Aria picked up her styler and put it on its holder in her shoulder strap pocket. It was so rustic to keep her styler at her waist like the other rangers did. "I call him what he is. It's not my fault he's a dolt without a brain who guzzles down everything known to man to be edible. I didn't make him that way."

Šárka raised her eyebrow at Aria and paused before answering.

"…You're not a bitch, Aria."

She angrily spun around to face her. "I know that!"

"So why are you trying so hard to be one?" Šárka said as she grabbed her pack. "You don't gotta be so viciously nasty. The guy got you a ring because he loves you, and however tacky that ring may be, it must mean something to you because you wanna keep it. Yet you still call him disparaging names…even to his face."

Aria gawked at her.

"What's with this whole one-eighty, Šárka? You agreed that the ring was trash and should have been thrown away. Now you saying it's valuable?"

The younger teen shook her head.

"No. It is a piece of trash crap ring. But you still want to keep it, even wanting to get it out of a toilet. A toilet, Aria! That must mean that even if you don't care for the ring, you care about Murph. Yet, you constantly insult him. That makes no sense. It's almost like you don't care about him at all, which I don't believe is true."

Aria was thoroughly annoyed at this point.

"You're the one not making sense, Šárka. I can't believe you're turning on me like this. The only reason I wanted to get the damn ring back was because I didn't want to hear Wailord's maudlin cries when he found out it was gone." She said as she started packing her bag.

"Do you love him?" Šárka asked point-blank.

Aria paused.

"Why would you even ask me that?!" she asked bitterly without turning around.

"The fact that you're not giving me an immediate straightforward answer tells me that you don't. Or that you don't even know. And it makes it seem like you're only using Murph because he's showing you affection. That makes you appear even bitchier. But you're not a bitch, are you?"

Aria was completely enraged at this point and angrily approached Šárka.

"How dare you?! Trying to psychoanalyze me like your shrink mother as if I have Munchausen syndrome or HPD or some other attention-seeking disorder! Sorry, _Dr. Yamamoto_, if my behavior bothers you. Stay out of my business!"

That hit a nerve with Šárka.

"I am not my mother. It doesn't take a genius to know that you're using that boy for your own insatiable thirst for affection. You obviously don't care about him or his dingy, stupid excuse for a ring but you still want to be with him because he worships the ground you walk on. If you loved him, or even cared about him, you wouldn't call him lardo or fatso or Wailord. Yeah, the boy could stand to lose a few pounds but attacking him with those words…That's emotional abuse. And you know what? I don't think you're that heartless of a person. I think you want the attention Murph gives you and that you do care for him at least on some level. Otherwise, why are you even in a relationship at all?"

Aria felt like punching her 'friend' in the mouth.

"Šárka, stop it." She said through grit teeth

"I'm just saying what it looks like from the outside. It looks like you're using him. Or that you don't care about him. And others not knowing why makes you look like a mean person. A callous bitch. And I know you're not a mean person or a bitch. I know you."

Aria exhaled in annoyance.

"You're starting to sound like Leilani. I am not abusing, Murph! Okay? Whatever I do or say, he tolerates it. He's never spoken to me against it. He's never approached me about it. Anything 'negative' that I say is completely justified and a direct result of his incompetence, stupidity, and downright laziness. And everything I say is completely factual!"

"Just because he tolerates it doesn't make it right." Šárka countered. "And just because you believe the things you say to be true doesn't mean they actually are."

"Say one more thing, Šárka." Aria threatened. "Say one more thing…Stay out of my business!"

The younger ranger scoffed and started walking to the stairs and down towards Aria's front door.

"Whatever, Aria. Let's just get to the base, okay? We're already in for an earful because we're so late."

With a huff, Aria clipped her pack on her hip and called for her pokémon.

"Meowphy, darling. It's time to go." She said as she picked up a carrier bag and swung it over her right shoulder.

A cream-colored feline pokémon with long whiskers and a golden coin on its head came skipping out of Aria's bedroom. There was a big, bright, luscious lavender blush colored bow tied around her neck and puffed out in the back. She nimbly jumped inside Aria's pet purse carrier. She petted the cat pokémon gently on her head before heading downstairs to join Šárka. She was standing by Aria's front door with her Tangrowth and Lilligant.

"You know we're not allowed to have two Partner Pokémon." Aria said haughtily as she met her at the door.

Šárka lovingly petted her Tangrowth and Lilligant.

"It isn't my fault I've bonded with two just fantastic beauties." Šárka cooed as she fawned over her pokémon.

"I don't know if I can keep your secret any longer, Šárka," Aria said scornfully, "Union regulations clearly state that a pokémon ranger can only choose one pokémon as their partner. Regardless of how close you may feel to other pokémon, you can't keep them and you have to release them back into the wild. A ranger could get in serious trouble for this."

"You're lecturing me about following Union rules? Miss Brawl Instigator?" Šárka retaliated sarcastically, irritating Aria once more.

Šárka then stopped petting her pokémon and turned to face Aria.

"Look, I had Tangie and Lilly when I signed up to be a ranger. They were both my pokémon. I may have chosen Lilly to be my official 'Partner Pokémon'," she said using air quotes as Aria had before, "but Tangie is just as important and my partner all the same. Besides, if anyone questions me about it, which they won't, I'll just say that Tangie is my pet. No rules against having a pet, right? I would love to have signed up Tangie but her size makes travel so difficult, especially in cases of emergencies. My Tangie's not the fastest pokémon but she sure is strong. It's such a shame she has to stay at my house all day."

Aria exhaled tiredly.

"Come on. We better head out and get the chastising over with. Joel really will have our asses if we don't report and have a good reason why."

Šárka opened the front door. "Don't worry. I'll have Lilly use Aromatherapy to mellow out the situation…or rather mellow out our Leader, Joel. Tangie, sweetheart, you can go back home now. I'll see you when I return. You were a big help this morning. Thank you, sweetums."

The large pokémon entangled in blue vines gave a small cry, enveloped her ranger in a large nearly bone-crushing hug, and then slowly started walking down the path and making her way to Šárka's house.

Šárka looked down at her more graceful plant-like pokémon.

"You ready to go, Lilly?"

The Flowering Pokémon cried sweetly and nodded.

"Okay then." Šárka glanced back at Aria before walking down the steps of her front door. "Let's go flat butt. We're late enough as it is."

Aria grimaced. She hated when Šárka called her that. It was one of the cocky nicknames they would call each other from time to time. But Aria still hated her calling her butt flat. They had such a love-hate relationship at times.

Aria touched her behind lightly. Then she glanced upstairs to where the tub filled with disinfectant containing the bogus ring Murph bought for her rested in the bathroom, before finally walking outside her house and locking the door behind her.

* * *

Murph was nervous. No. Not Nervous. He was completely panic-stricken! He felt as though he was going to faint at any moment!

No. He couldn't faint! He had to man-up and do this mission! This very trying, intimidating, petrifying mission! He couldn't fail! He just couldn't! He had never been successful at this kind of mission before or any mission, for that matter. But if this mission wasn't handled right, it could spell disaster!

Murph could feel his fellow Ringtown Rangers watching him. He just had to be successful at this! He just had to!

With his quivering lip and shaking hands, Murph readied his styler. A bead of sweat fell from his forehead as he tried to concentrate.

"You can do this, Murph!" he heard Solana cry.

"Yeah, you can do this! Don't worry about it!" Lunick followed.

"Don't worry? Don't worry?! OF COURSE HE SHOULD WORRY!" a tall blonde-haired man with a goatee bellowed from the side. "Failure is not an option here! He should be worried! Very worried! Oh, trouble! Trouble! It's a crisis!"

Murph gulped.

"C-C-Capture On!" he stuttered.

His knees buckling, he unsteadily released a blue capture disc from his styler. It flew passed the target pokémon he was trying so desperately to rescue.

"Be careful, you!" That same man angrily roared. He made a fist threateningly. "If you injury my precious pokémon, so help me!…Get my precious pokémon back to me, right now!"

"Geez, take it easy, will yah?" Lunick said chidingly to the older man.

"You got this, Murph!" Solana encouraged. "Bring the capture disc back! Control it with your stylus!"

Plusle and Minun both cried out to their humans' friend as they did a heartened cheer.

Murph swallowed hard. If he didn't do this and do this right, he was going to be in big trouble!

Nervously, he extended the rod on his styler and timidly began maneuvering his hand to control the released capture disc. But it was already too far gone for him to use.

"Try again!" his friends encouraged in unison.

Nervously again, Murph released a capture disc, this time a green one, from his styler. As the floating disc passed by the tempered pokémon this time, Murph quickly wrung his hand back, bringing the spinning capturing tool back around the pokémon. He clumsily but effectively began circling rings of friendship energy around the highly agitated pokémon. After a few more tense seconds, the capture line loops illuminated brighter and closed in on the pokémon, leaving a few yellow sparkles decorating the surrounding air afterwards.

Breathing heavily, Murph hesitantly looked down at his capture styler. A white circle was blinking on its screen.

Murph drew in his breath.

"I did it…" he muttered. "I did it!"

"Yeah, way to go, Murph!" Lunick hollered as he cupped his hands around his mouth and then pumped his fist in the air.

"I knew you could do it!" Solana praised on as well.

Plusle and Minun hopped around joyously at his success while his Partner Pokémon Slowking just nodded with a smile.

Murph began jumping up and down.

"I did it! I actually did it! I captured Larry's Swellow! I finally did it!" Murph cried ecstatically.

The distressed Larry quickly rushed passed Murph, inadvertently knocking him down on the ground.

"Oh Swellow! Swellow, my darling!" Larry cried as he ran with open arms.

The normal/flying type pokémon chirped happily as it did an aerial loop before flying straight to Larry, who enveloped it in an immense hug.

"Oh, Oh! My darling, Swellow! I finally have you back in my arms! Oh, I don't know what I would do without you! My sweet, sweet powerful, classy Swellow!"

"Swellow! Swellow Swell!" it cried cheerily.

Solana and Lunick both ran to Murph's side. Solana helped him to sit up.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah…I'm fine," he said merrily.

Lunick crossed his arms.

"You know. I think a _thank you_ is in order here, Larry." Lunick goaded.

Larry turned his head slightly to face the three Ringtown student rangers.

"Thank him? After he almost smacked my precious Swellow with that capture disc you folks use?!"

"Well, if you didn't upset Swellow in the first place, Murph wouldn't have had to capture it for you!" Lunick countered.

"My precious darling did not run away from me! It got lost while we were taking our afternoon walk."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Lunick said nonchalantly, "The amount of times your Swellow 'gets lost' is like a million. You ever think maybe it just wanted to spend some time by itself?"

Larry was greatly offended.

"How dare you say such a thing?! My darling Swellow would never want to leave my side!"

Lunick sighed in annoyance.

"The point is you should be thanking Murph for bringing Swellow back to you."

Larry turned his head with a "Humph!"

"Maybe if one of you more qualified rangers took on my request but you treated this like it's a joke. Well, I don't think it's funny! But I suppose he tried his best. And my dear pokémon and I are reunited once again! Let us go now, Swellow darling. I'm sure after all that stress you endured what you need is a nice relaxing soak in the hot springs sand."

And with that, Larry indignantly walked away from the three teens into Lyra Forest.

"I suppose that was a 'thank you'," Solana said, unsure.

"Yeah right," Lunick huffed, "You know, I'm starting to think Swellow really is purposefully running away from Larry."

"Be nice, Lunick," Solana playfully warned. "It's like Larry's daughter says, 'Not a day goes by without him raising a big commotion about how his beloved pokémon ran away'. Larry's histrionic. He can't help it. It's his personality trait, not a personality flaw that he can instantly overcome, and his eccentricity is something he has to work on tethering under control."

"Yeah, well, I still say he could've been a bit more appreciative, not to mention considerate," he replied as he helped Murph up to his feet. "That was a great capture, Murph. Don't even sweat about Larry. It's a Mission Clear!"

Murph smiled weakly at his friend's kudos to him, but he couldn't hide the disappointment that read in his eyes, which Solana picked up on.

"What's wrong, Murph? I thought you were happy about taming Larry's Swellow as a mission?"

Murph nervously started rubbing the back of his neck.

"No…I mean…I am happy I was able to get Swellow back to Larry. It's something big for me, you know, because I mostly stay at the base checking inventory or changing light bulbs. Getting an actual field mission was great and all…It's just…"

"What is it, Murph?" Lunick asked, also a little concerned about his friend's demeanor.

"Well…It's just…This wasn't even a real mission at all! It was just a 'patrol the city and help the citizens' sort of thing. And then there's the fact that capturing Larry's Swellow isn't even in its own right a difficult enough feat to be called a mission. Solana, you captured Larry's Swellow back when you were still just a rookie and it was a Taillow. Lunick, you captured Larry's Taillow when you were just a Rank 1 Ranger. Now you're both Top Rangers, graduating to Ace Rangers next year along with all the other rangers from our class, and I'm still here doing mediocre jobs and frivolous requests and I'm still just teetering at Rank 5. In all the time I've been working as a Ranger, I've only just barely moved up half my ranks. That's still like a novice level. I should be at the senior level at least! You guys are! You two are paramount, even above that! You can even be considered Elite rangers without graduating to Ace! Everything I do is just frivolous and without true meaning; there's always someone who can do it better. I'm not doing anything but menial work. So…I just…I just don't know what I'm doing!"

Solana and Lunick both cringed and shared a glance as they looked at their distraught friend.

"Murph," Solana began calmly. "You can't compare yourself to me and Lunick. That isn't fair to you. Yes, Lunick and I have been out in the field doing missions more than you have and yes, that's why our ranks are higher. But that doesn't mean that everything you do is for not or has no purpose at all?"

"Yeah, bud," Lunick agreed, "Don't discredit what you do. Checking the Union shipments and changing the light bulbs in the base are really important. The whole base would be out of whack if we didn't have you to spruce things up and make us laugh with your jokes from time to time. And it is never menial to help the citizens of Fiore, even Larry. Don't undermine your confidence in what you do, Murph. You are an important, integral part, not to mention a phenomenal asset to this team and things just wouldn't be the same without you."

Murph sobered up and lightly chuckled.

"_Sniff_…Wow…Thanks guys…Really…And I know you're being nice and all, but…I'm just not cut out to be a real ranger."

"You _are_ a real ranger," Solana said definitively. "You wear the uniform, you help the citizens of Fiore, you help solve the ecological issues we have in this region and you help to bring justice to those wronged. You make this world a better place. It sounds cliché and corny but it's true. Maybe you're not meant to be a field ranger. But you are definitely essential in the Pokémon Ranger profession, whatever it may be. And you will be right there graduating with us and the rest of our class next year."

Murph's smile widened.

"Aw…Thanks, Solana. You guys really are the best."

Lunick and Solana both smiled as their friend started to regain his joyful spirit and blithesome nature.

Lunick patted his friend on the back. "I say we all need to celebrate. Murph man, how 'bout we go down to Trainer Dee's and get you some yummy corndogs and curly fries?"

"Mai Mai!" The electric minus pokémon cheered.

Again Murph chuckled.

"That sounds great, Lunick. But Aria says I should cut down on the fats."

"Well, you should be allowed to spoil yourself. You just cleared a mission. But I guess we don't have to go to Trainer Dee's. How about we –"

Before Lunick could finish his suggestion, his styler began ringing. He took it out of its holder and answered.

"This is Lunick."

"_Lunick, we need you down here on East Road! A herd of Donphan are in heat and all the male Donphan are performing their Roll Out Dance of love to court the females in the Krokka Tunnel! But their mating ritual is causing a ruckus within the cave! They are causing rockfalls which is extremely dangerous to anyone who is traveling inside the Krokka Tunnel as well as the other pokémon who reside in there! We need you here immediately to help defuse the situation!"_

"Copy that, Lind. I'm on my way."

Lunick put his styler back on its holder.

"Murph man, I promise we'll celebrate your Mission Clear as soon as we can."

Murph shook his head.

"No, it's okay. Don't worry about it. I didn't think it was such a big deal anyway. And I gotta get back to the base…I have to check inventory again…"

Lunick slowly opened his mouth to say something, only he didn't know what to say.

"…Um…Well…You take care of that, Murph. And when you're done, we'll talk." He then turned to face Solana. "And, Babe, I promise I'll be done with this mission in time for our date tonight. Don't you worry about a thing. I can handle this. Come on, Minun!"

The little mouse pokémon nodded firmly.

Lunick gave Solana a quick peck on her cheek.

"I promise, Solana! I'll be back before you know it. Meet me at the fountain in Fall City at eight," he yelled back as he and Minun sprinted of into the Lyra Forest.

Solana smiled softly.

"You guys going out again?" Murph asked.

Solana hugged herself. "We, uh, didn't get a chance to yesterday. We're going out to dinner to celebrate the commitment Lunick and I made for one another. Then we're going dancing. Not something I'd like to do but Lunick insists."

Murph nodded in understanding.

"Sounds nice. I've been wanting to take Aria out but she never wants to go. The things she wants to do are a little expensive for me to come up with, so we just end up going home and not going out at all."

"That's so sad, Murph. You guys don't even spend time by each other?"

"Aria's always on missions or something. And Aria still has this thing about me coming over to her house. I don't know why we don't do things together? I try my best to make time for it, but it never works out. I respect Aria's privacy and work life anyway."

Solana lips curved downward. She didn't believe for one second that Aria couldn't make the time to spend with her boyfriend. She was just giving excuses for why she wouldn't go out why him. Leilani was right. Aria didn't care about Murph at all.

Murph sighed.

"I've gotta get back to the base before Leader ends up calling me. You, uh…wanna come back with me?"

This time Solana smiled weakly.

"Sure, Murph. I'll walk with you there and help keep you company for a little while before I go back home to get ready."

Murph broke out into a wide smile and his cheery demeanor returned once more.

"Thanks, Solana."

"Of course, Murph."

* * *

Solana looked at herself in her full-length mirror. She smoothed out her sheath dress as she continued to check herself in the mirror. The little black formfitting dress was a Charmeuse, off-the shoulder minidress, with a crossover twist bodice that raised her bust line, and a skater skirt bottom that gave the flowing effects synonymous to the skirts of figure skaters. The hemline was halfway up her thigh and the clinginess accentuated her natural figure. It was quite the elegant dress. Much more elegant than her other little black dress, which was still clingy but had less of a sensual appeal. This dress, despite the flattering skater skirt, looked more formal, as if she were going to a highly publicized event. It definitely ate a huge chunk of her bank account and it really wasn't her usual style of dress, showing off more flesh and cleavage than she was used to. But she wanted to wear something a little more alluring for her date with Lunick.

Just like they didn't have much free time because of their career as friends, so was the same now that they were dating (the hip, accepted term was dating, though going steady would have been closer to the actual description of their relationship, but they would never be caught dead using it!). They could be called on a mission at any time, which was inconvenient and a little disheartening even, as Solana wanted to spend as much time with Lunick as she possibly could. Days like the one they had yesterday were rare, but Lunick always somehow found a way to make it work. They had a change of shift in the evening tonight, so Lunick had been planning this date for a while, knowing the schedule ahead of time. And considering the special gift he had given to her two days ago and his convictional speech, Solana wanted to make the most of tonight and show Lunick just how devoted she was to him.

Outwardly calm, but with Beautifly tearing up her insides like a school of Basculin, she walked away from the mirror and sat down at her dresser to begin applying her makeup. As she began applying her shimmering fuchsia pink lip gloss, her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a light blue blur. As Solana looked away from her dresser mirror, she immediately recognized the glittering blue shopping bag from Vixen's Confession that Leilani had gone to the previous day when they were shopping together. Solana grimaced. She knew the contents of what was in that bag. Leilani had showed her the one she bought for herself, but she also told her she bought one for Solana too.

Leilani's claim that the lace panty would make her feel sexy on the inside, she thought was facetious. But the longer Solana looked at the bag, the more she felt herself embarrassingly wanting to see it. Going against her better judgment, Solana timidly crept over to the sparkly paper shopping bag and sat on her bed. She removed the many pretty wrapping tissue papers that were inside the bag and meekly peered inside. Closing her eyes, Solana dipped her hand into the bag and pulled out one of the enticing panties. Then Solana opened her eyes and saw that it was the red hiphugger, white bow print, lace panty that Leilani had shown her earlier at the mall.

Solana scrunched up her face, uncomfortable looking at the erogenous piece of underwear. She was definitely getting this back to Leilani as quickly as possible!

She then peered inside and took out a second piece of lingerie, which she assumed was supposed to be hers. Unlike Leilani's it was a lace-trim cheekini, which showed off a little more of her derrière than she was used to. It was faint light pink foil lace, accented by a tiny blue bow at the front. It was also a little more see-through than Leilani's and showed off more flesh.

Solana started to turn a scarlet red. If her parents knew she had this kind of frilly lingerie in her closet they'd tan her hide, for sure. And if her brother knew!…And remembering Lunick's initial reaction when he found a less amorous but still suggestive undergarment in her locker back at the base…

Solana covered her face with her left hand. and dropped the panty on her bed. She was getting even more flustered and embarrassed just thinking about putting them on, even guilty.

Solana knew Lunick said she was pretty. Beautiful. Stunning even. But she still felt a little insecure about herself, as most teenage girls would. The acronym _YDLS _kept popping up in her brain. The big juncture Lunick surprised her with the other night kept making her feel warm on the inside.

"Pla Plah?" her partner pokémon asked.

Plusle had been in there the entire time helping Solana figure out what to wear and giving her feedback, though how Plusle as a pokémon could have knowledge or understanding of human clothing and fashion was mind-boggling.

Solana lifted her hand to her forehead and looked at Plusle. The little mouse pokémon seemed concerned over Solana's discomfort.

"Plah Pla?"

Solana looked back at the pink panty that Leilani had bought for her. With a heavy sigh, she picked up the lace undergarment, put Leilani's back in the blue bag, and then walked slowly to her bathroom.

_I sure hope Leilani is right about this…_

* * *

Fall City was usually very busy and very alive during the day. Hordes and swarms of people, some strolling, others shopping about their own personal business, all rushing and bustling passed one another to get to their destinations. But the large, dense, urban area that was always filled with millions of people during the day was surprising quiet at night. Sure, there were those few shopkeepers that were there lingering in the marketplace waiting for someone to come into their shop and make a purchase, and maybe just a few other people moseying around the city. But it was not nearly as hectic, chaotic, and confusing as it was during the day, which was great for Leilani. It made way for a relaxing evening stroll with her new friend. Only a sliver of the moon was showing in the twilight sky, though the nearly clear skies allowed just enough for starlight to gleam the city streets. The streetlights stretched for miles as they continued their walk through town square.

Leilani felt like she was floating on a cloud as she and Alejandro walked down the sidewalk, hand-in-hand. Her heart felt like it was dancing around in her chest whenever she was near him. In fact, it would fluctuate from a rapid throbbing to a calm beating whenever he would compliment her or make a witty little remark. And especially when he touched her.

Leilani had only known Alejandro for three days and she was already starting to develop some feels for him. Was this what a crush was? She had told Solana that what she felt was superficial and emphasized that she had limited knowledge of him, so she could not be crushing on him. But something about him…just made her feel good on the inside! His appealing looks aside, Alejandro was a really fun, carefree dude – similar to Lunick but perhaps a little bit more out there, like Leilani – which she felt was such a plus! He was new and exciting! A thrill seeker even!

Initially, Leilani just brushed off his bizarre antics, direct flirting, and inappropriate bluntness because she found it amusing. But now she was starting to feel nervous around him, and yet…she was very happy whenever he randomly showed up to see her. And even when he wasn't with her, she found herself constantly thinking about him…and when she had no reason to think about him! She was interested in getting to know him better, yes. He still hadn't told her much about himself but she still enjoyed being around him all the same.

Everything felt so surreal. She had never felt this way about anybody, save for Murph. The hole that had been in her heart from not being able to be with Murph was slowly being filled by Alejandro. So then…maybe she was crushing on him after all. After she calmed down from her fangirling yesterday at the Fall City Mall, she spent the rest of the day hanging out with Alejandro, with a disgruntled Percy trailing behind as a third wheel. And again today, they spent the majority of the time together, with Alejandro accompanying her on her missions. Leilani didn't know what Percy was so suspicious about. Neither of them knew Alejandro very well, so how could he be passing judgment on him already? Percy still asserted that he was bad news and urged Leilani to stay away from him. But really…Leilani didn't really care what Percy said and started to tune out his whining because she saw something different in Alejandro. The way she was feeling about Alejandro nearly paralleled the same way she felt and still feels about Murph, though to a lesser degree. So, maybe because her feelings are the same with him as with Murph…maybe…she was falling for this guy…

Alejandro chuckled.

"You know, Leilani, I still can't over the fact that you caught those Hippowdon all by yourself! And so fast! So swift! And with no assistance at all!"

Leilani smiled weakly.

"Well, I did have help from Lucario. That made it much easier." She said as she ran her free hand through her braids. Her Partner Pokémon had actually returned back home after her last mission to meditate. He would have rather come along since he was very protective of his human, but Leilani insisted he stay home and rest, telling him she'd be fine. Though it didn't gel well with him, Lucario obeyed his human and stayed at home waiting for her to return.

"You know, you are a phenomenal ranger, Leilani." Alejandro complimented, making Leilani feel even more embarrassed.

"Well, I do the best I can. I love my job and I live to please the people of Fiore and make them happy."

"You've certainly made me happy since I've been here. Might even consider staying here a while longer so long as I get to see your pretty face every day."

Leilani started to feel Butterfree in her stomach again. She coiled one of her braids as she tried to laugh off her bashfulness.

Alejandro's smile widened. He looked down at the pavement.

"You know, Leilani, I know a lot about you. How you grew up in Summerland but that your family is originally from the West Indies. So we both got that Caribbean blood in us."

Again, Leilani laughed timidly. "Wow. How do you know all that? We only just met three days ago and I haven't told you anything about me and my life."

He turned to face her.

"I get around. I've traveled to a lot of places but I'm glad I stopped here in Fiore. You know, the news media talk a lot about your friends, Solana and Lunick."

"They should. They saved this region I don't know how many times."

"But you were there working with them. They didn't do it all by themselves. But the little bit of attention they gave you, I absorbed. Who was this beautiful, confident, sassy, girl? I wanted to know."

Leilani put her hand to her chest. Her heart felt like it was about to come flying right out of her chest!

"You sure are a real charmer, you." She breathed out.

"I only speak the truth about how I feel. I can't keep my feelings contained. I'd explode if I do and end up doing some crazy neurotic thing like trying take over the world like the crazies you deal with."

Leilani chuckled lightly "Well…they weren't really neurotic. They were crazy, but they weren't neurotic. They were just bad people."

Alejandro stopped walking and took Leilani's hands in his.

"Well, I'm good people." He said with determination. "I am good people and can be good people to you. For you. With you. You've got something special inside you. I see it. We can be good people together."

Leilani's head slowly dropped, her eyes wide, and her mouth gaped. Had she heard that right? Had he just…

"But I don't know anything about you." She quickly said trying to hide her shock.

"But I know everything about you?"

She removed her hands from his and rested them on her hips. "That's not enough. Before you begin saying crazy talk like that, you gotta tell me more about you."

Alejandro's eyes narrowed a little, barely noticeable, but Leilani seemingly didn't catch it.

"I don't like to talk about my past. It upsets me."

"Well, I don't see how we can continue being friends unless I learn more about you and who you are," Leilani sputtered. But she was firm in what she said. She wouldn't even entertain anything like he suggested until she knew more about him.

Alejandro stared at her hard for a moment before his countenance softened and relaxed.

"Okay." He said plainly.

Leilani inhaled deeply, not knowing what was going to come next.

Alejandro gestured for her to start walking with him again and they did.

"What do you wanna know?" he asked simply.

"Well…You could tell me about where you grew up? Why you're always traveling a lot? What it is that you do?"

Alejandro waited a few seconds before responding.

"I spent my early years as an orphan. I don't know what happened to my parents. Guess they didn't want me or something. I slept in the streets, made a living on the streets. Had no one I could count on, depend on, or turn to for help. I was on my own and learned to live that way."

Leilani frowned and had a look of sadness on her face.

"Don't you look all down and depressed. I'm fine. Look at me? I turned out great. I don't have a job or a career. Like I said, I lived on the streets. I had a crew back in Celadon; fellas from all walks of life. They took me in. They were my family. But we had a falling out and so I traveled to Veilstone. Made another crew. But I wasn't happy so I went back to Celadon, patched things up with my guys and we were going strong once again. But I grew to like being a vagabond and traveling to all sorts of places. My boys understood and said they'll be right there waiting for me when I returned. Only now that I've met you, I may not want to go back."

Leilani was beginning to feel nervous again and abruptly stopped walking.

"Wow, uh…That's a lot…I'm glad you were able to get through your hard times and had a group of friends to support you. I know my pals are always here for me and I'm here for them."

"Yeah…right," he said as he started walking closer to her. "What's wrong? You look all meek and shy? That's not the Leilani I know."

Leilani backed up against one of the streetlight poles.

"I-I'm not shy…I just…I'm a little discombobulated and all. It's been a long day, the missions and work and all." She said coyly.

Alejandro smiled wickedly.

"Oh, you look so cute. Like a little Skitty."

"W-Well…T-Thank you…but, uh…i-it's late. I have an early shift tomorrow…"

"The moonlight shines so beautifully on your face." He said smoothly as he parted a few loose braids that were covering half of Leilani's face.

Leilani felt like she was going to pass out.

"Alejandro…I really do need to get home…Lucario's waiting for me…"

"So beautiful." He whispered.

"Huh?" Leilani said timidly.

He caressed her face and looked her straight in her eyes.

"You are so beautiful," he said as he leaned in closer to her.

Jittery, Leilani leaned back against the lamppost and held onto it.

"I…I can't…"

"Please…" he said, looking back up at her.

Leilani looked into his hazel green eyes. She felt like he was looking right through her soul. She could feel her knees beginning to buckle as he drew closer to her.

Even though everything in her head screamed _'No!' _Leilani felt herself giving into temptation. Her eyes started to close as she could feel Alejandro mere inches from her face.

Just as their lips were about to meet, Leilani's left eye suddenly caught focus of something. Opening her eyes wider, Leilani saw Solana, sitting by herself on a park bench in front of Fall City's Fountain. Plusle was lying down on the ground beside her.

"Solana?" she uttered, placing a hand on Alejandro's chest to tell him to stop. She then sprinted off towards her best friend, secretly happy that what was about to happen didn't happen.

"Solana! Solana!" she shouted and waved.

The dejected ranger slowly lifted her chin off of her fist and opened her eyes to see Leilani fastly running towards her.

"Solana," she breathed out, "Solana…girl…What're you doing here?"

"You're dressed to kill. Doesn't that mean you're supposed to be on a date with that beau of yours?" asked Alejandro.

Leilani jumped back, startled. She didn't even know that he had caught up to her that fast.

Solana sighed.

"We were supposed to be on a date but Lunick had to go on a very important mission. He said he'd be back in time for our date but it's already after ten and he still hasn't come back to meet me yet."

"Oh, bummer, Sole," Leilani said sadly. "Did you try calling him?"

She nodded. "Only once. It didn't go through. He's on a mission, so I didn't expect him to answer his phone. I wouldn't dare call him on his styler."

"Even on your very special date?" Leilani asked, clearly shocked.

"At first I was angry. I thought maybe he forgot or something. But that's not like Lunick. Not anymore. Now I'm starting to get worried about him." Solana said, clearly concerned.

Leilani sat down next to her. "I'm sure he's fine, Sole. You know Lunick. He never gives up."

She sighed again.

"Yeah, I know Lunick. He's reckless and doesn't always think things through. I'm worried he got hurt or injured or –"

"Come on. Don't think like that. Lunick's a tough guy. I'm sure he's alright."

"But what if he's not, Leilani? What if –"

Again, Solana was cut off as she heard someone started calling her name.

"Solana! Solana!"

"Mai Mai!"

Solana turned and saw Lunick running straight towards her. She quickly got to her feet.

"Solana…" Lunick panted as he bent over on his knees. "Solana…"

Solana put her hand behind his back and held him.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

His uniform was a little dirty and messed up, and his hair was all over the place.

Finally catching his breath, Lunick straightened up, but Solana still continued to hold him.

"Solana…Babe, I'm so sorry. I tried to get here as soon as I could but those Donphan caused a lot of damage to the Krokka Tunnel. They were so difficult to tame. We had a whole team there but it still took us hours to pacify the battle. I tried, I really tried to come –"

"Shhhh," Solana hushed. "It's alright. As long as you're not hurt or anything."

Lunick looked down at his clothes.

"I'm a little banged up, but don't you worry. We will still have our date tonight."

Solana shook her head.

"Lunick, the restaurant's probably closed. The dance club too. We can put this off another night. You look so exhausted."

"No!" Lunick demanded. He held Solana's hands. "We are going to have our very special date tonight. Just give me a couple minutes to change out of this ragged uniform and we're all set. There are other things we can do. I'm not out of ideas yet. Don't you worry, Babe. Your man's got this."

Solana smiled lovingly at Lunick. Even though he was all exhausted and weary, he was still willing to make the most of tonight.

"Aww," Leilani cooed.

"Oh, Lunick," Solana cried as she gave her BF a fierce hug.

"Wow. You look incredible," he said as he looked his girlfriend over. "You're all dolled up, dressed to the nines…Now I know we have to have our date tonight! Just let me go back to the base and –"

Before Lunick could finish his statement, several screams erupted from the city and people immediately began fleeing in their direction crying out.

"Fire! Fire!" They screamed and cried.

Both Lunick's and Leilani's stylers began vibrating. Solana's styler vibrated in her purse.

"This is, Lunick. What's going on here, Lind?"

"_Code 3! Code 3! There's a huge fire at apartment complex on the west side of the city! Firefighters and other rangers are on the scene attempting to put out the blaze! Backup is needed! All available rangers report to the site immediately!"_

Lunick quickly put his styler back in his pocket.

" Guys –"

"We heard," Solana said determinedly. "Let's go!"

The three rangers quickly bolted for the Fall City apartment complex…and Alejandro followed behind them.

* * *

The glowing embers shot out of the apartment building as the blaze intensified. The heat was oppressive and could be felt even from two hundred yards away. It was chaos as many citizens all fled the surrounding area, screaming and crying from the fiery inferno.

All three arriving rangers were shocked at how great the fire was. Flames engulfed the crumbling apartment building, spreading violently through every part of the building. It grew more and more wild with every second. The hoses from the firefighters and the assistant pokémon of the rangers already on the scene were making negligible difference as fire continued to ravage the building.

Lunick ran up to one of the firefighters.

"What happened?!" he asked almost in a panic.

"I don't know!" The burly man anxiously. "We got a call about a multiple-alarm fire but we had no idea just how severe this was and how difficult it would be to contain!"

"Lunick!" Lind cried out as he signaled for his friend. Lunick, Solana, and Leilani all ran to him.

"Where's Leader?"

"He's on his way. He got held back at his house."

"Lind, this building is going down! Has everyone been evacuated?"

Lind shook his head fearfully.

"No! Most of everyone escaped, but there's a girl still trapped in there!"

"What?!" Lunick screamed.

A plume of fire exploded from the building, erupting more screams from the terrified citizens. Heavy black smoke seeped out of the building.

"We've got to go in there and save her!" Lunick hollered.

"The idea of anyone going in there is ludicrous! We saved most of everyone!"

"Not good enough!" Lunick retorted angrily. "We save lives! We don't settle for casualties!"

"It's too dangerous!" Lind urged.

Another explosion erupted from the unstable building.

Infuriated, Lunick fastly rushed to the collapsing building before anyone could stop him.

"Lunick!" Solana, Lind, and Leilani all cried in unison.

Minun chased in after him. Solana too tried to follow, but she was quickly pulled back.

"Lunick!"

"Are you crazy?!" Lind asked. "Get back, Solana! You're not geared up for this!"

"Lunick!" she cried out again.

Wasting no time, Lunick bolted into the building. Smoldering fire covered the floor like a carpet. He couldn't enter it directly. Lunick then ran to the side and got a Venusaur to lift him up to the highest floor where he heard the screams the loudest, leaving Minun behind. Without hesitation, Lunick leaped in through the broken window of the crumbling building. Crouching on the ground, Lunick covered his mouth. The putrid, pungent smell of smoke reached and burned his nostrils. Sweat dripped down Lunick's forehead from the sweltering heat. The room was full of smog and it was difficult for Lunick to see anything between the smoke and the rising flames. He could hear the girl's cries and struggled to fight through the blaze. Trying desperately not to breathe in the noxious gases, Lunick crawled on the wooden floor trying to follow the sounds of the screams. All he could see was the fiery red and orange blaze. Lunick was beginning to feel dizzy and the crying suddenly stopped, but he still pressed forward. When his eyes found the girl lying flatly on the ground, he quickly crept to her, the smoke still stinging and reeking in his nose.

She had blonde hair pulled to the side in a ponytail with a blue scrunchie, and was wearing a torn up frilly blue dress and no shoes.

Still struggling to breathe, Lunick laboriously picked up the girl. The floorboard beneath him creaked and started to lower, and he aguishly hopped to the side. Lunick knew if he didn't get out of there fast he was a goner.

"No…" the girl weakly muttered.

"Don't…worry…I'll get…you outta…here…" Lunick gasped.

Forcing himself on his knees, Lunick weakly crawled to back to the broken window. He was feeling so lightheaded, but he couldn't give up!

"Hey!" he coughed as he reached the end.

Two green vines rose from outside the building and enveloped Lunick, still holding the girl. He was quickly pulled out and lowered to the ground by the Venusaur.

"Lunick!" Solana cried as she, Plusle and Minun ran towards him.

EMS quickly ran passed her to Lunick. He had partially collapsed, choking, letting go of the girl as she rolled on the ground away from him. A paramedic quickly put an oxygen mask Lunick's face, while a critical care paramedic started to perform CPR on the girl.

"Lunick, what were you thinking?!" Lind asked, completely scared out of his mind.

Lunick continued to cough, choke, and gasp for air as the oxygen entered through his nose and mouth. The paramedic quickly hooked him up to a CO-Oximeter.

"Lunick," Solana cried. Leilani held her friend close, also teary eyed, trying to soothe her.

The apartment building finally collapsed on the ground with a loud echoing _Boom!_, golden and crimson flares still ablaze. The firefighters and pokémon rangers were all still trying to demolish the flames except for four – Solana, Leilani, Lunick, and Lind.

Lunick slowly opened his eyes, still gasping for air.

"Lunick!" Solana cried.

"I'm here! I'm here!" Spenser yelled as he arrived at the scene. He saw the fallen apartment building but then he rushed to Lind, who was the Fall City Ranger in charge while Joel and Cameron were at a Conference.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked, worriedly.

"I'm…fine…" Lunick gasped as he continued to breathe deeply. Solana broke free of Leilani's grasp and ran over to her partner, Plusle and Minun too. She held him as he continued to breathe in the oxygen from the mask.

"What happened here?" Spenser demanded.

"Lunick rushed in to save someone who was still trapped inside the apartment before it collapsed. He rescued the girl but he's being treated for smoke inhalation." Lind answered.

Spenser was shocked.

"Lunick?"

Still struggling but feeling a little more clear-headed, Lunick tried to stand up.

"You need to stay still and sit down, sir," the paramedic advised.

"The girl…Where…is…the girl?" he hoarsely asked.

A shrill scream suddenly erupted a short distance from him. The girl he had just rescued had apparently regained consciousness and was violently flailing her arms and legs, pushing and kicking the paramedics away as she laid on a stretcher.

"Iya! Iya! Yamete!" the girl cried. _No! No! Stop it!_

"Hold her down!" one of the medics ordered. "We have to get this oxygen mask on her!"

The four medics all tried to hold her down and apply the restraint straps. She continued to wail and fight them.

"Yamete! Yamete! Yamete kudasai! Watashi ni furenaide kudasai! Nigeru! Anata no monsutā watashi kara hanarete Getto! Iya! Doko ka ni itte! Yamete!"_ Stop it! Stop it! Please stop! Do not touch me! Get away! Stop! Get away from me you monsters! No! Go away! Stop it!_

"We're going to have to sedate her!" one of the medics cried.

"Yamete! Yamete! Iya! Watashi ni furenaide kudasai! Warui otoko! Yamete!"_ Stop it! Stop it! No! Do not touch me! Bad man! Stop it!_

Weakly, Lunick took his oxygen mask off.

"Sir, please put that back on!" the paramedic ordered.

Lunick unhooked himself from the pulse CO-Oximetery.

"Baby, what are you doing?" Solana asked, her voice full of concern. "You need to be checked out and taken to the hospital."

His chest tight, Lunick weakly stood up and dizzily walked over to the paramedics surrounding the girl.

The head medic grunted. "Where's that damn diazepam! We need her still to restrain her!"

"Iya! Iya! Yamete! Yamete!" _No! No! Stop it! Stop it!_

Lunick tapped one of the medics on the shoulder so he could pass through. Weakly, he fell to his knees.

"Chīsana on'nanoko, ochitsuite kudasai." _Little girl, please calm down._

"Nigeru! Nigeru!" _Get away! Get away!_

Again, Lunick tried to talk to the girl.

"Koibito o ochitsuku. Dare mo anata o kizutsukeru tsumori wa arimasen. Watashitachi wa tasukeru tame ni koko ni iru." _Calm down, sweetheart. No one is going to hurt you. We are here to help._

"Iya! Iya! Watashi wa shinitakunai! Nigeru! Nigeru!" _No! No! I do not wish to die! Get away! Get away!_

Lunick looked up to the medic.

"She's traumatized. She will not cooperate with you if you continue to spout orders at her."

"Well, what do you propose we do?" he asked, harshly.

Still trying to control his breathing and take in oxygen from the air, Lunick turned back to face the girl.

"Koibito, watashiwomite." _Sweetheart, look at me._

The girl continued to flail.

"Yamete! Yamete! Warui otoko! Yamete! Iya!" _Stop it! Stop it! Bad man! Stop it! No!_

"Mattaku warui otoko wa arimasen. Watashiwomite, hachimitsu, onegaiitashimasu." _There is no bad man. Look at me, honey, please._

"Iya! Yamete! Nigeru!" _No! Stop it!_ _Get Away!_

"Watashi wa genkidesu. Kokode wa anata o shien suru. Watashiwomite kudasai." _I am good. Here to help you. Please, look at me._

The girl stopped flailing but continued to cry.

Lunick slowly reached out to touch her and she flinched.

"Yamete! Watashi ni furenaide kudasai! Watashi kara hanarete shutoku suru!" _Stop it! Do not touch me! Get away from me!_

"Watashi wa, Pokémonrenjā. Watashinonamaeha Lunick. Renjā Lunick." _I am a Pokemon Ranger. My name is Lunick. Ranger Lunick._

She stopped crying.

Lunick continued. "Anata no me no amaimono o hirakimasu. Anata no me o aite kudasai. Anata wa watashitoisshoni anzendearu, Renjā Lunick." _Open your eyes, sweetie. Please, open your eyes. You are safe with me, Ranger Lunick._

Timidly, the girl slowly opened her eyes halfway, before opening them up fully to Lunick.

Lunick smiled.

"Kon'nichiwa. Wakarimasu ka? Anata wa anzendesu." _Hello there. You see? You are safe._

The girl blinked at him a couple times.

"Anata wa kanari aoi me o shite." He said. _You have pretty blue eyes._

The girl started to cower again.

Lunick held up his hands.

"Iya! Iya! Watashi wa anzendesu. Renjā Lunick. Oboete imasu ka?" _No! No! I am safe. Ranger Lunick. Remember?_

The girl blinked again.

"Renjā Lunick?" _Ranger, Lunick?_

"Hai. Renjā Lunick. Anata wa watashitoisshoni anzendearu." _Yes. Ranger Lunick. You are safe with me._

The girl blinked again and looked Lunick up and down. She stared at him for a long while.

Smiling at her, Lunick looked back up to the chief medic.

"Be gentle with her. She's been through a lot in that fire."

"I will. Thank you, young man." The chief medic replied. He then turned to his men. "Alright, guys. Let's get her on!"

As the four paramedics attempted to approach the girl she again began flailing.

"Yamete! Iya! Iya! Bakku taizai!" _Stop it! No! No! Stay back!_

"Sore wa daijōbudesu. Anata ga anzendearu, oboete iru?" Lunick interjected. _It is okay. You are safe, remember?_

The girl again looked at Lunick with teary eyes.

Lunick nodded to her then held up his hand to the medic.

"I'll ride along with her. She's less agitated around me. I need to get checked out myself."

The chief paramedic scratched head.

"If you say so. But we need to get you kids to the hospital and fast. We need to get your oxygen levels up, pronto!"

Lunick nodded.

The paramedics again tried to put an oxygen mask on the teenage girl.

"Iya! Iya!" _No! No!_

"Anata ga anzendearu. Watashi o shinjite. Lunick." _You are safe. Trust me._ _Lunick._

The girl continued to watch Lunick as the oxygen mask was put on her face. She was scared and kept looking at Lunick, who just nodded and smiled reassuringly. She reached for him as she was taken on the stretcher into the ambulance.

Lunick continued, "Shinpaishinaide kudasai. Anata wa, mohaya kikende wanai. Anata ga tasuke o ukete iru." _Do not worry. You are no longer in danger. You are getting help._

A medic then approached Lunick and put the oxygen mask on his face.

"Come on," she said as she helped him up to the ambulance. Minun jumped in with him. It wasn't until he sat down that he realized Solana and Leilani had been standing there the entire time.

"Oh, Solana…I am so sorry about tonight."

Solana quickly shook her head.

"Don't be. I just want you to get the help you need. I'll meet you at the hospital after I change out of this dress, okay?"

Lunick still felt remorseful, like he had done something wrong.

"Okay…I love you, 'Lana."

"I love you too, sweetie."

Two more paramedics then jumped into the ambulance and closed the rear doors. The ambulance driver then drove off, carrying the two remaining injured from the fire to the Fall City Hospital.

Solana watched the ambulance go until it was out of her sight.

Leilani put her arm around her.

"How're you holding up, girl?"

"I've been better," she said quietly as she played with the ring on her finger.

"He's gonna be fine, Solana. He did a beyond crazy, suicidal thing, but he always pulls through. Plus, he was able to help calm that girl down so she could go to the hospital to receive treatment even though he needed treatment himself. Now that's remarkable."

"Yeah," Solana sighed. "He's really something."

Leilani could see that her friend was still emotionally wrecked from the whole ordeal.

"Maybe you should just go home and rest after all this, Sole?"

Solana shook her head.

"No. I gotta see Lunick. He needs me."

"Lunick's resilient, Sole. Lunick may be the one with the physical injuries but you look like you took the biggest blow."

Solana hugged herself and turned around to face her.

"I-I'm okay…I'm fine. Really."

Leilani wasn't convinced.

"You want me you give you a ride home?" Alejandro suddenly appeared, again startling Leilani.

"Where have you been?"

"Oh, uh. I have this thing about fires. You know." He shrugged.

Leilani crinkled her brow.

"Well…um…Thanks for the offer, but my girl needs me."

Again, Solana shook her head.

"No, Leilani. I'm fine. Don't be worried."

"You telling me that is going to make me worry more."

Again, Solana sighed.

Leilani patted her on the back.

"Tell you what, how 'bout you go home and I'll hit you up after you've settled in. Get yourself some hot chocolate or something and get all cozy in bed. Then we'll spend the rest of the night talking until one of us falls asleep. Deal?"

Solana smiled weakly and nodded.

"Deal."

"Okay. Come here, love." Leilani said as she enveloped her friend in a huge hug. "Everything's gonna be alright. You'll see. And did you know that Lunick was bilingual?"

Solana raised her eyebrows and shook her head.

"No. I didn't have a clue. But he's always full of surprises."

"Yeah," Leilani sighed as they pulled apart from the hug. "Settle yourself in. Get some hot cocoa, and we'll talk the night away. Okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, Leilani."

Leilani smiled widely. "Of course, girl. I'm here for you."

"So, uh…Did you still want me to give you that ride?" Alejandro asked.

"Um…You know what, Alejandro? I think I'll walk it home."

"Oh, well then I'll walk you home."

At this point, Leilani was too tired to object to him so she let him come.

After Leilani was out of her sight, Solana hugged herself again. She saw her Leader talking with the other rangers and firefighters about what happened, then she looked at the fallen apartment building, little embers still sparking up from beneath the ash and rubble.

"Plah Pla?"

Solana looked down at her partner pokémon before letting loose a sigh one more time.

"Let's go home, Plusle."

She continued to hug herself as she walked until she finally reached home and plopped down in her bed.

All afternoon she had been concerned about wearing the lace panty, but now she was worried about something else entirely. If the purpose of the lingerie was to make her feel good on the inside, it most definitely did not succeed at that.

* * *

Freddie guardedly walked down the stairs of his house. Someone had been laying their finger on his doorbell for the past five minutes and pounding on his front door. Who would be at his doorstep at two in the morning? His gut told him not to answer the door but the bell kept ringing incessantly and he really did not want his daughter to wake up. Whoever was at the door could also pose as a serious threat and the last thing he needed was for something bad to happen to Niema. He had too many experiences dealing with dangerous people and he was not going to put his family at risk. All the lights in the house were off except the porch light outside, leaving only the moonlight to guide his steps through the windows.

Creeping closer to the front door, which was still ringing and knocking, Freddie peered through the peephole. He couldn't quite make out who was at the door. Even with his porch light on, all he could see was a dark figure, still pounding away at the door.

Gritting his teeth and preparing himself for the worst, Freddie unlatched his front door and swung it opened, getting himself ready should he need to fight back. But when the door finally opened all the way, Freddie was not prepared for what he saw.

"Anya?" he said, incredulously.

The young woman lifted up her head and smiled lazily. Her clothes were all ragged and torn up, her brown hair was a mess, and her eyes were bloodshot.

"Hi, Freddie-Bear," she said sweetly in a cracked voice.

Freddie shook his head. "What're you doing here, Anya?"

Freddie's former love scratched her arm rapidly as she stared off into space.

"Can…Can ah's c'min?" she asked, her words very slurred.

Freddie could not believe what was happening.

"Anya, no. I can't."

"Please?" she begged again as she stepped closer to him. The light on the front porch now showed just how chillingly gaunt she had become as well as highlighted the small pimples that were visible on her face and neck.

Freddie cringed in disgust.

Anya continued to scratch her arm vigorously.

"Please, Freddie? I's got nowhere ta go…Can I jus' c'min? Pleasezz?"

Freddie put his hand to mouth, trying to keep himself calm.

"You cannot stay here, okay? I'll give you what you need but by later this morning, you gotta go. Niema can't see you like this."

"But I ain't got nowhere else ta go?"

"Anya –"

"Pleeasez, Freddie-Bear? Ah's hurt. Ah's hurt real bad. I promise Ima getting help…but I need someplace ta stay."

Freddie looked at her hard. Then, he grudgingly stepped aside.

"My daughter is asleep. You cannot wake her…And you can't come into my bedroom either, do you understand?"

Anya's face came to life.

"Thank you, Freddie-Bear. Ah knew you'se would help me."

She tried to give him a hug but he grabbed her wrists and stepped back.

"You can rest on the futon. And there's some curry rice in the fridge. But you must be quiet. Do not wake Niema. You cannot disturb Niema."

"Ozekay, Ozekay. Ss'ank you, Freddie-Bear." She said, her slurring even worse.

Freddie let go of her wrists.

"Quietly, Anya." Freddie emphasized. "You will be completely quiet."

The troubled young girl nodded her head with a faint smile before wobbly shuffling inside Freddie's home.

Exhaling loudly, Freddie closed his eyes and shut the front door, mentally berating himself for what he had just done.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay. I gotta clear up some things that probably may have left you guys confused.

Firstly, I sincerely apologize if my Japanese text was inaccurate or written incorrectly. Even though I know some Japanese, I am definitely not fluent in it and I had to get help to put together those sentences. So again, if I've written something wrong or inaccurate, I sincerely apologize, and if you notice something that needs to be adjusted, please let me know in your review and I will update the chapter. The Japanese text will come again a few times as the story continues.

Secondly, the One Partner Pokémon rule stands in this story because this takes place years before _Shadows of Almia. _Just had to clear that up.

That's all I have to say for now.

Happy New Year's Everybody and thank you!

And please don't forget to review!

Always Do Everything With Love,

XyKPfan


	4. Chapter 4

The Fall City Hospital was the largest healthcare institution in all of Fiore.

Upon arriving at the hospital, the young girl's hysteria increased and she was extremely uncooperative. Lunick, being the one who rescued her and the only one who was able to calm her down, had stayed with her, receiving medical care alongside or near her, so that she wouldn't freak out. The nurses even had to resort to medically sedating the girl even with Lunick there so that she could sleep and they could start following procedure to heal her. Lunick was also the only one who could translate for the girl, so the hospital staff decided to put him in a shared occupancy patient room with her, to lessen the girl's distress. The suite they were given was a little more deluxe than the general patient rooms. It had separate beds for both of them (of course!), separate TV's, one bathroom, a fridge, direct dialing, access to a terrace, and a two-way nurse call system. Lunick wasn't a stranger to being put in a luxury suite, and he did like it better than the general patient rooms which hosted various overwhelming scents of many cleansers and disinfectants, the nauseating scent of an overactive immune system wafting from the bedding, and questionable food smells lingering from the hospital cafeteria. But he still preferred going home and resting in his own bed. The night doctor would hear none of it, saying that he was very dehydrated and still needed oxygen for support in addition to reapplying the bandages on his arms and legs. And with that, he was admitted to the hospital for overnight observation.

Lunick seriously contemplated just signing a release waiver form and be on his merry way (that's something Solana would do), but he really wasn't up to debating with the doctor and he knew he really did need extra care. Plus, he also knew that he was needed to help moderate the girl, not to mention the fact that his Leader would be on his back if he didn't follow procedure and let the hospital do their job. It wasn't until Solana showed up with Plusle and Minun at two in the morning that his sullen demeanor vanished and he felt in high spirits again.

Solana did keep half her promise to Leilani – that she would stay up and talk with her in the night until one of them fell asleep. Well, Solana didn't fall asleep on the phone but she had Leilani convinced she had. As soon as she heard the _Click! _from the line being disconnected, Solana jumped out of bed and drove straight to the Fall City hospital. She had never put on her night clothes when she returned home and just changed into a baby blue T-Shirt and pink skinny jeans. She couldn't help it. There was no way she was going to go to sleep that night without, at the very least, visiting the hospital to check-in on Lunick. And she was so happy she did. Lunick really wasn't off that bad, only having the minor burns he sustained in the fire which were wrapped in bandages and nasal prongs in his nose to deliver supplemental oxygen for his respiratory help, (even though he felt like he could breathe fine on his own!).

After greeting her boyfriend with a warm kiss on the lips and asking how he was doing, Solana inquired about the girl he rescued, who also wore a nasal cannula to help her breathe as an alternative to the face mask as part of her oxygen therapy. Lunick explained that she was in need of more treatment than he was and that the reason he was there with her was because she had caused so much trouble being admitted that she had to be medically sedated to reduce her agitation and high anxiety, and so she would have calmed enough down so they could help her, even with Lunick reassuring her the entire time. After she was sedated, the girl was knocked out the entire time, much to the staff's relief. They were able to come in periodically throughout the night and early morning, checking her oxygen levels, changing her bandages, and getting her vitals before moving on to Lunick.

Lunick spent most of the early morning talking to Solana, with her lying back in the padded microfiber honeydew colored reclining chair (an extra amenity to the room), about how sorry he was about missing their special date, about how in hindsight, how reckless he had been, and about how he felt while he was rescuing the girl in the crumpling apartment building during the fire. Solana hushed him each time, agreeing with him that yes he was very reckless and could've easily gotten himself killed, but highlighting that them not having their date was trivial considering he did come out alive with minor injuries and did, in fact, save the girl everyone else was so afraid to because of the fire, and would rather remorsefully chalk her up as a an unfortunate casualty. When taking all that into account, there was absolutely nothing for Lunick to apologize for or be regretful about, especially since both of them knew that being a ranger was a high-risk occupation. How they were able to escape death so many times was an uncanny stroke of luck at best, if not a miracle.

It was about five o' clock in the morning now and Solana had already fallen asleep in the reclining chair, lightly snoring. Smiling at his sleeping beauty, Lunick felt the urge to stretch his legs. Lying in the hospital bed for such a long period of time left him feeling uncomfortable and restless.

Pulling the oxygen prongs out of his nose (because they were making his nose itch and he felt he could at least walk around a little bit without them), Lunick held onto the silver rolling stand which carried his IV drip of saline fluid, and slowly lifted his legs from the bed and stood to his feet, wincing from the pain of the weakened muscles in his thighs and legs.

Taking deep breaths, Lunick started slowly moving about the room, stopping occasionally to look at Solana sleeping in the chair covered in a hospital blanket with Plusle on her lap, watch Minun sleeping at the foot of his bed, and for a short while looking outside at the glow of dawn in the sky, still freckled with a few twinkling stars. His bladder soon told him it was time to go to the restroom, which was on the other side of the room.

When he was done and exited, he was startled when he heard a soft voice say something to him. After catching his breath, he saw that the girl he had rescued the previous night was awake and staring at him through the dimly lit room.

"Oh…Kon'nichiwa….Ohayō." He breathed out nervously. _Oh…Hello…Good morning._

"Ohayō." She replied softly. _Good morning._

Her voice was very faint, barely audible enough for Lunick to hear.

"Anata wa…Renjā Lunick ka? Pokémonrenjā, Lunick…ka?" she asked. _You are…Ranger Lunick?…Pokémon Ranger, Lunick?_

"Hai." Lunick nodded. _Yes._

The girl blinked.

"Anata wa watashi o sukutta 1dearu…Watashi wa anata no kao o oboete iru." She said softly. _You are the one who rescued me. I remember your face._

"Hai." _Yes._ Lunick answered. He started walking to the chair across from her bed. She appeared to be significantly calmer and it looked like she wanted to talk to him.

"Arigatō. Dōmo arigatō gozaimashita." _Thank you. Thank you very much. _She bowed her head to show her gratitude.

"Dōitashimashite." _You're welcome. _He carefully sat down in the chair.

She sat back up in her bed.

"You are very nice, Renjā Lunick."

Lunick was surprised to hear that.

"You can speak English?"

The girl nodded. "Nihonjin is my primary language, but I also speak and understand English."

"I see." Lunick stated. "So the reason you were speaking Japanese yesterday was because you were so scared and didn't know what was going on?"

Again, the girl nodded.

"It is difficult to control what one says when they are petrified."

"Well, you went through something pretty horrific."

The girl looked down for a moment before looking back up at Lunick.

"My name is Iyori."

"Nice to meet you, Iyori." Lunick answered.

She played with the sheet on her bed with her fingers.

"If you do not mind…Renjā Lunick…What exactly is a…Pokémonrenjā?"

"Not at all. And you can just call me Lunick," he replied cheerily. "A Pokémon Ranger is someone who fights to protect nature for both pokémon and mankind alike. We help keep our region safe by helping those in need, doing rescue missions, calming down agitated pokémon, and stopping destructive behaviors and phenomenons, or as with your case, stopping conflagration. We basically just protect pokémon and people to keep our world balanced and safe."

Iyori was a bit unsure.

"So…you are not like Keisatsu, are you? The police?"

Lunick shook his head.

"No. No. Our jobs are similar but we don't make arrests, although we can Mirandize. We have no legal authority when it comes to the judicial system but we do stop dangerous people and hold them for questioning until the police take them out of our hands. We technically don't have any legal authority even though we have authoritative positions. Our purpose and focus is to protect nature for the betterment of our world."

Iyori nodded her head slowly.

Lunick shifted in the chair. "Iyori, this may not be a good time to ask, but a few of our rangers and firefighters had a difficult time finding out the cause of the fire. They think it may have started in your room but they're not too sure."

Iyori became fearful again.

"My home was set ablaze."

"So, you're saying the cause was arson?"

Iyori grabbed her head and closed her eyes. "No! No! Bad man! He will kill me! Watashi o satsujin! Chigau! Chigau!" _Murder me! No! No!_

Lunick held out his hands.

"Okay, okay, Iyori. Please calm down. You're safe now, remember? I'm sorry for asking you about what happened so soon. I know what happened is something very difficult. I will not ask you again. I'm sorry. Gomen'nasai." _I'm sorry._

Iyori uncovered her head and looked back at Lunick.

"I have no home. No home."

"Do not worry about that, Iyori. Right now, you just need to rest. It's just daybreak. It's still early. Just relax. Everything is going to be okay."

"How long must I stay here? I cannot stay here! He will find me!"

"No, he will not," Lunick reassured her as he stood up. "So long as I'm around, nobody is going to harm you. Remember what I said? You are safe with me. You are safe around pokémon rangers and you are safe in this hospital bed. Okay?"

Iyori slowly nodded her head.

"Thank you…Lunick."

Lunick nodded and then he made his way back to his bed. He may not have learned much about Iyori and the fire, but he was content that she was now comfortable.

As Lunick hobbled in his bed, he gazed at Solana. She was still sleeping but not snoring as loudly as she was before.

Smiling, Lunick continued to stare lovingly at his girlfriend until he too drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Later on that morning, Lunick was informed he could be discharged. Aside from the mild burns on his arms and legs, he was fine. His oxygen returned to a level of stability, though he was given a Voldyne incentive spirometer to take home to measure the volume of air inspired and expired by his lungs and to determine how much air he was able to move in and out of his lungs in a single breath. Lunick struggled to get the marker above the level he was supposed to for a while, but the doctor instructed him to keep practicing while he was at home and if he was still unable to exhale above the mark, then he would have to come back for them to check his lungs. He was given some discharge instructions and forms as well.

While Lunick filled out the discharge papers and was unhooked from the IV drip, oxygen tank and other needles, Solana left to get him a change of clothes from home (well…from her house). Iyori wasn't happy to hear that she would be staying in the hospital for a couple more days, maybe even a week or two because she was severely more dehydrated and injured than Lunick and still needed to rely on the nasal cannula to provide her with oxygen and help her with respiration. The entire time, Lunick kept advising her to remain calm and kept trying to reassure her that she would be safe in the hospital and that the hospital staff will take care of her.

When Solana returned, she helped Lunick dress himself (after he put on his undergarments) and had the rest of his things packed in outpatient bags.

"Okay, Baby. You're all set and ready to go," Solana said happily. "I just have to go get the wheelchair from outside and then we'll get you outta here."

Lunick put his hand to his forehead.

"Thanks, Babe, but really…Do I have to use the wheelchair? I can walk."

"No, sir. Hospital policy." She said plainly. "You're not stable enough to walk on your own without support."

"But I'm just gonna be using it until we get to your car? Then, I'll be walking on my own…or with your support. Besides, I should be walking on my own to strengthen my muscles anyway."

"Well, until you get inside the car, you will be using the wheelchair," Solana said firmly, "Now you know how I felt having to use it after my blood transfusion."

"You're forgetting I had to use it after the Shadow Pokémon mission, but that was totally different. You needed to use the wheelchair and the crutches then because you were so weak afterwards, you could barely walk. I'm fine."

"Uh huh," Solana replied, unmoved as she gathered his bags, "I'm gonna go put this in the car and then I'll be back with your wheelchair. Kay? Love you, sweetie."

"Love you too…I'd love you more if you forgo the wheelchair, though?" he still pressed.

"Not gonna happen," she said as she walked out the room with Plusle.

Lunick crossed his arms and pouted like a child who didn't get their way.

"Your girlfriend is very sweet." Iyori said from her bed. The curtain that separated the two of them was pulled back so they could see each other just fine. "Very nurturing and motherly. She cares for you a lot, I can tell."

Lunick sighed peacefully.

"Yeah, she's amazing. I'm lucky to have her. She's very meticulous about a lot of things, whether it be in her favor or works against her but she always does her best. That's one of the things I admire about her."

Iyori smiled. "Aww, you two sound like you're so deeply in love. That must be nice."

Lunick chuckled.

"Yeah, we're both crazy about each other. You never felt that way about anyone?"

Iyori grew quiet.

"I did…once…But, uh…it did not work out well for me."

"Sorry to hear that."

She shook her head. "Don't be. I am not so bothered by it anymore. Not like before anyway. I am more concerned about where I will stay. I have no home. And that bad man will find me."

Lunick could see she was getting worked up again.

"You are safe here, Iyori. The hospital is one of the safest places you can be."

"No! There are ways the outside can get in and do damage. I must get out of here. I must find safety somewhere. He will kill me!"

"No, no, no, no. Iyori, please. Take some deep breaths. You are safe. No one is going to hurt you. The doctors and nurses will take care of you. You will be fine."

Solana reentered the room with Plusle on her shoulder, pushing one of the hospital wheelchairs to Lunick. A nurse followed in behind her to get Iyori's vitals.

"You ready?" Solana asked.

"Yeah," Lunick replied as he scooted over from the bed into the wheelchair. Minun hopped in his lap.

Solana started pushing Lunick to leave.

"No! No!" Iyori cried as she flailed her arms, preventing the nurse from taking her pulse. "Please, do not leave me here! Please! Onegaishimasu!" _Please!_

"Please, Miss, you must keep still!" the nurse ordered.

"Renjā Lunick! Please do not go! I am not safe here! Watashi o abadonnaide kudasai!" _Please do not abandon me!_

Both Solana and Lunick looked worriedly at Iyori

"Iyori," Lunick began, "Remember what I said? You are safe here. Anata ga koko ni anzendesu. No one is going to hurt you. The hospital is here to help you. Tasukete. Everything will be okay. I promise." …_You are safe here…Help…_

"Miss, please keep still!" the nurse pleaded.

"You said I was safe so long as you're here! You leave, I no longer safe! Please do not go, I beg you! Onegaishimasu!" _Please!_

Lunick shook his head, very concerned.

"Iyori you are safe here. You will be safe here. Just as safe as when I was here. Everything will be okay. Please calm down, Iyori. Watashi no tame ni ochitsuite kudasai. Everything will be okay." …_Please calm down for me…_

"Lunick, I don't know what to do," Solana whispered to him. She was just as worried about the girl as he was.

"Just go, 'Lana. She'll be fine. I've already talked to her. She's just scared because of memories of the fire. Go on."

"Renjā Lunick! Renjā Lunick!"

"You are safe. The hospital staff is going to help you. Trust me, Iyori, you are safe," Lunick continued as Solana uncomfortably wheeled him outside the room. A few more nurses entered the room and shut the door behind them, Iyori's cries now muffled.

"I feel so bad for her," Solana said sadly. "Is she going to be okay?"

"I hope so." Lunick answered as she continued to wheel him down the hospital corridor and through the entrance. Her green Prius was parked in front of the hospital.

"She seems really attached to you, Lunick," Solana said as she helped him in the passenger seat of her car.

"She's just been through a lot…She'll be okay…She doesn't seem to trust many people but she trusts me…Most likely because I was the one who rescued her...But she will be fine. I'm sure of it..."

As Solana started the car and reversed out of the parking spot, Lunick continued to stare out his window to the Fall City Hospital until it was no longer in his line of sight.

* * *

It was a slightly painful ride back to Solana's house. Even though Lunick had reassured Solana that Iyori would be fine at the hospital on her own, there was this nickeling doubt that kept tickling the back of his mind that she wouldn't be. Lunick had dealt with surviving fire victims before and helped them find counseling as was part of a ranger's repertoire. But Iyori was particularly paranoid and he wasn't sure if leaving her at the hospital by herself was the best idea on second thought. He phoned the base on their way back to ask if someone could babysit her for a little while until she was more settled in the hospital.

After driving back to her house, Solana still had to support Lunick to walk inside. She would have taken him back to his house, but it still felt more natural to take him to hers because he spent most of his time there anyway when they weren't working. Lunick didn't appear to have any objections and she figured he would much rather stay over by her as he recuperated than rest in his bed by himself.

Solana struggled to open the front door to her house as she held onto Lunick while at the same time carrying his outpatient bags. Lunick still claimed that he could walk by himself but Solana still felt the need to help him. At the very least, he suggested that if she was going to help him inside, then she should leave his bags and carry them in separately. But Solana wanted to make only one trip from her car to inside her home. She was stubborn but Lunick didn't mind since she gave him an excuse to be close to her but he still hated to watch her struggle.

"O…Kay…We're here," Solana exhaled as her front door swung opened. Plusle and Minun ran ahead of them inside while Solana helped Lunick over to her couch.

"You got it? You got it?"

"I'm fine, Solana. Thank you," Lunick replied as he laid back on the loveseat sofa.

Solana again exhaled loudly as she dropped his bags on the floor, breathing heavily.

"Look at you. All out of breath and everything. I told you I could walk by myself."

"Nonsense. I wanted to help you," Solana insisted as she tried to catch her breath.

Lunick chuckled. She looked so humorous bent over on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

"You find this funny?"

"Kinda. Yeah," Lunick laughed. "I'm like twenty pounds heavier than you. I don't know how you expected to help me walk all the way over here."

"Well, you can carry me anywhere. So I thought, why not?"

"I can carry you anywhere because I'm physically stronger than you. Told you my workout was more intense."

Solana waved her hand as her breathing started to return to normal.

"Whatever. You're probably hungry, right? I don't think you ate when you were at the hospital."

Lunick immediately sobered up.

"You're uh…You're going to cook?" he asked, timidly.

Solana crossed her arms.

"What's that supposed to mean? I can cook."

"Are you sure? The last time you attempted to do something by yourself, you nearly burned down the base."

Solana slapped him lightly upside his head.

"I did not."

"Yes, you did. Had I not arrived there in time the whole place would've come down just like that apartment building. Everyone would have had to be temporarily reassigned to another base until it was fixed."

Solana continued to glare at him.

"You're so mean. I'm not a terrible cook."

"I didn't say you were. Just that you have to be supervised when going near electric appliances."

Solana narrowed her eyes slightly at him before walking out of the room to go to her kitchen.

"I wasn't going to _cook _you something. I was gonna make you a sandwich and heat you up some ramen. The whole Jewish Penicillin thing you were talking about."

"Whatever gave you the impression I was Jewish?" Lunick asked as he kicked off his shoes. Minun ran in the room with a pokébiscuit in his mouth. He hopped up beside Lunick on the sofa and started nibbling on the treat, holding it in his tiny paws.

"You told me you were," she called back.

"No I didn't."

"You told me your mother was."

Lunick scrunched up his face in confusion and thought for a moment. Then he remembered.

"Oh. You mean when I told you that she was finding herself?"

"Uhhhhhh…Yes?…"

Lunick laid back down on the sofa, causing Minun to fall down on the floor. He glared at his ranger.

"Mai Mai!"

"Sorry, pal." Lunick apologized.

Rubbing his cheek, Minun went back to snacking on his treat.

"Oh. Yeah, she converted to Judaism back then when she had her breakdown but she's not anymore. She's Christian now. Like my Dad."

"I thought you said she had a midlife crisis or something?"

"Solana, how could she have had a midlife crisis if she wasn't even midlife yet? She had a nervous breakdown."

"Well, that's what you told me."

"Did I say that?"

"Yes."

"Well, I meant nervous breakdown."

Solana reentered the room carrying a tray with a bowl of ramen noodles and a cheese sandwich sliced diagonally for Lunick. Plusle followed behind her also carrying a pokébiscuit in her mouth. She joined Minun on the floor and began eating her treat.

"That sounds really stressful." Solana commented as she held the bowl out to Lunick.

Lunick looked down at it questionably for a moment, then looked back up at Solana with raised eyebrows.

Solana rolled her eyes.

"It was prepackaged, Lunick. I didn't make this. I just heated it up."

Smiling, Lunick happily took the tray from her and began eating.

"I made the sandwich, though."

"That's fine. Who can screw up a sandwich?" he said as he took a big bite.

"Ak! Lunick!"

"I'm just messing with you," he replied cheerily. "And yeah, it was a very stressful period for my family."

"What happened?" Solana asked as she sat down in a chair across from the sofa.

Lunick took another bite of his sandwich before swallowing, taking his time to answer.

"Uh…Well…We were under witness protection at the time."

Solana gasped. "What? Why?"

Lunick was a little hesitant to answer.

"Um…Well…We were threatened."

"By who?" Solana asked. At this point she was clearly concerned.

"Uh…Well…By some people my Dad used to associate with."

Solana shook her head.

"What do you mean?"

Lunick played with his ramen for a little bit before answering.

"You've met my Dad, right?"

"Yeah. Lots of times. He seems like he's exactly like you personality wise."

"Yeah…Well…My Dad…Uh…He wasn't always like that."

"I still don't understand what you mean?"

Lunick sighed heavily.

"Before my Dad met my Mom, he used to be…bad…"

"Bad?"

"Like gang member bad…Like, violent gang member bad."

"Like the Go-Rock Squad?"

"Um…No…Worse."

"Worse than the Go-Rock Squad?"

"The Go-Rock Squad was never really a threat, Solana. You ever heard of the Yakuza?"

Solana nodded. "Yeah. Of course."

Lunick hesitated before answering.

"Well…That's the gang violence I'm talking about. My Dad used to be a part of the Namahage branch or the Duskull Diamonds at the time. I don't know what they're called now."

Solana didn't know what to say.

"Your dad used to be a part of one of the most violent organized crime syndicates?"

Lunick nodded slowly.

"He _used_ to be. But when he met my Mom he changed…much to the group's displeasure. I don't need to tell you that no one gets out of that gang alive. They have very strict codes. And when they found out why, well…Let's just say my parents became closely aware of their notorious nefarious streak."

Solana opened her mouth to say something but looked away and went quiet again.

"He's not a part of the yakuza anymore but my parents did come under fire for it. They were on the run for quite some time before I was born. And even afterwards, I saw for myself just how violent they were."

Solana meekly looked back up.

"…Is…Is this the same Lou we're talking about?"

That hit a nerve with Lunick.

"What? You don't believe people can change?"

"That's not what I said. But I know evil when I see it."

"My Dad's not evil!" Lunick replied, defensively. "He's not like that anymore!"

"But he used to be a part of one of the most hardcore villainous groups in the world."

"Are you judging him now?"

"You know me better than that, Lunick," Solana answered seriously. "This just doesn't make any sense to me."

Plusle and Minun had finished their treats but they were now worriedly looking at their two agitated humans. When did the mood get so taut?

"What part of 'he changed when he met my Mom' do you not understand?"

"Lunick, people do not just change from wickedly evil to good-natured overnight."

"Yes they do!"

"Lunick, stop getting defensive. I'm just trying to understand."

Lunick continued to stare angrily at her. Plusle and Minun's ears perked down in discomfort.

"This is why I never told anybody. Unless you've been through what my parents have, you will never be able to empathize with them. I've seen how menacing this group is firsthand. I've experienced it. My Dad did everything within his power to protect us. He never even wanted to be a part of the gang in the first place. He was never like the gang. He did what he had to to survive. And when he met my Mom, that just gave him enough gumption to leave the gang, knowing how brutal they are. I don't know what else to say to get you to understand."

Solana shook her head. She could see how emotional Lunick was getting over this and didn't want to press him anymore.

"You don't have to say anything else, Lunick. It doesn't matter. I don't know that Lou from the past anyway. I know the grounded, silly, peaceful Lou. The Lou who I see you in. I'm not judging him. But you have to admit this is a lot for me to take in."

Lunick looked away briefly.

"It is a lot. That's why I don't talk about it."

"Is that how you know Japanese?"

Lunick nodded.

"The syndicates had a secret language system that all members had to learn and speak. My Dad had to use it when he was around them. Japanese was the prominent native language code then. They had a lot of meetings when he was in the gang before I was born. One day when I was small, I found an old document in my parent's attic. When I showed it to my dad, he wouldn't tell me about it at first. But after years of pestering him, he finally admitted to me it was a coterie script containing a message to other yakuza organizations about transnational blackmail among the syndicates and that a turf war had been initiated. My Dad was a fugitive among the gang so we were always in danger. I asked my Dad to teach me the language so I could be something like a sentry or a lookout. But he wouldn't let me. Said it was too dangerous and that the dealings with the gang were his responsibility alone to shoulder. But I wouldn't give up. I kept pressing him to teach me, telling him I could help keep us safe. Then my Dad showed me his Irezumi."

"Irezumi?" Solana asked.

"Expensive, painful, and permanent tattoos gang members are required to wear as testament of their allegiance to the gang. The ink is inserted underneath the skin with nonelectrical handmade tools with sharpened bamboo or steel needles."

Solana cringed.

"He said he never wanted me to live that life. Be trapped in a serious situation that I could not control or understand. He agreed to teach me the language, but made it clear that I was not to get mixed up in the gang like he was. But I still utilized the knowledge as best as I could. Whenever I thought the gang was near, I'd tell my Mom and we'd hide until they passed by. One time they found us and I used the secret language code to convince the gang members I was one of its founding member's descendants. I studied and deciphered all of my Dad's old cryptographs from the gang and learned as much as I could about the yakuza and its history to protect my family and keep us safe. My Dad found out what I was doing, though. And the whole thing was pretty hard on my Mom."

"Is that what caused your mom's nervous breakdown?"

Lunick again nodded.

"She never really quite got over that. She's stable now but back then, the only way my mother knew how to cope was to constantly change religions, searching for some kind of direction. She literally lost her mind from the stress. My Dad's the only one who's been able to help her. And it was this whole experience that made my parents the way they are. That's why I wanted to become a ranger. I wanted to protect them. I wanted to protect anyone from having to experience anything like that. No one should have to be subject to that kind of violence…Any violence."

Solana looked at her boyfriend sorrowfully for a moment, before wiping away his one tear and cupping his face with her right hand.

"Hey…"

Lunick placed his hand over hers and kissed it. Solana smiled softly at him as she tried to cheer him up.

"I'm sorry for blowing up at you earlier." Lunick apologized.

"It's okay. I get it."

Lunick looked back down at her hand before looking back up in her eyes.

"Can I…uh…Can I have a hug…please?" he asked, diffidently.

Solana nodded. Standing up, she picked up his tray and moved it to the side of the sofa before climbing up on his lap and wrapping her arms around him for a comforting hug.

Lunick hugged her tightly.

Plusle and Minun perked up slightly and exhaled in relief at seeing the tension being replaced by the display of affection.

"I, uh…I never told anyone my parents' past."

Solana pulled back and kissed her boyfriend lightly on his forehead.

"I know. You said so already. At least you got it out. That's what matters."

"And you won't tell anyone?"

Solana shook her head.

"No one needs to know. If anyone finds out, it will be by your mouth. Not mine's."

Lunick nodded and hugged her again.

"I'm, uh…not used to feeling this…vulnerable…Can we just stay like this for a while?"

Pulling away from Lunick briefly, Solana took the sofa's two cushions and placed them on its right armrest. She then turned around and pulled Lunick down with her to lie down across the sofa. Lunick nestled himself in her left shoulder and continued to hold her around her waist as they snuggled up close.

"I'm so happy you brought me here." Lunick said as he closed his eyes.

Solana closed her eyes too.

"Mhm. I told you I'd take care of you. Leader gave us a few days off so you could rest. I intend to stay here with you until you return, however long that will take."

"Badical." He said softly.

Smiling happily to each other and deciding to give their humans some privacy, Plusle and Minun ran out the room and went to Solana's back porch, leaving their rangers cuddling on the couch until they both fell in deep slumber.

* * *

Freddie hastily ran about his house, trying desperately to get ready for work. He knew he would regret letting Anya spend the night there. He always regretted it. Every time she'd manipulate his feelings and emotions, playing him for a sucker as she tricked him into doing what he knew he shouldn't. It served him right for inviting her back into his house. Every time she left he'd say he'd never do it again, and every time she came back he always did! No matter how many times Freddie tried to cut Anya out of his life, she always resurfaced, raising hell and making his life all that more strenuous.

Freddie sifted through his wallet, trying to look for any spare change Anya may have missed. One dime and two pennies fell out when he turned it over and shook it.

'_Damn it! Getting help my ass!' _Freddie cursed.

Just then, Freddie noticed the light smoke pooling in from his kitchen.

"Oh shit!" Freddie exclaimed as he dropped his wallet and ran out of the living room and into his kitchen.

He pulled the burning frying pan off of the electric burner and tossed it into the sink, turning the faucet on immediately afterwards. The Leidenfrost effect took place as an insulating vapor layer of water rose from the hot frying pan.

"Damn it!" Freddie cursed again. "What else can go wrong today?"

"Daddy!"

Freddie turned around and saw his daughter standing in the doorframe that connected the living room to the kitchen. She was wearing a pink footsie pajama that had baby Fennekin on it and was holding a Teddiursa doll in her hands.

"Niema, honey –"

"You said a bad word!"

"What?"

"You said a bad word!" the little girl scolded. "You said –"

"I know what I said, honey," Freddie cut in, "You're right. It was a bad word. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it."

"But why'd you say it, Daddy?"

Freddie turned off the faucet in the sink.

"I was angry, baby."

"Why was you angry, Daddy? Did you not sleep well?"

"No, baby. I didn't." Freddie said as he turned the ceiling fan on in the kitchen to clear out the smoke.

"Why it so foggy in here, Daddy?"

"I burned breakfast." Freddie answered as he took his black uniform shirt off of one of the kitchen chairs and put his arms in the sleeves. He then started buttoning his shirt.

"What we havin'?"

"We were going to have French toast and scrambled eggs, but seeing as I burned the pan, I suppose we can have porridge."

Niema skewed up her face in disgust.

"Yuck, Daddy!"

"Porridge is very good for you, Niema."

"It nasty! Porridge nasty! Don't want no porridge!"

"Well, I don't have time to make anything else. I'm already running late for work and I have to stop by the bank before I go. Go on and pick out the clothes you want to wear today while I heat it up."

Niema firmly shook her head.

"No! Please, Daddy! Don't want porridge!"

"Niema –"

"You wouldn't feed porridge to da guess you had las' night?"

That caught Freddie off guard.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You had a guess las' night, Daddy. You got da footonie out."

'_Damn it! I forgot to put it up!"_

"I know'se you'se only take out da footonie when someone's ova. Who stayed ova, Daddy? Was it a frien'?"

Freddie grimaced as he walked over to the fridge.

"It was someone I know."

"Was it Uncle Lunick?"

"No."

"Was it Uncle Chris?"

"No."

"Was it –"

"No one from work, Niema." Freddie answered as he pulled out a blue container with a white lid from the fridge.

"Do I know dis person?"

"You sure are asking a lot of questions?" Freddie said as he rested the packaged cornmeal on the kitchen counter before walking into the living room to pick up the futon.

Niema followed him.

"You said we not allowed to have strange persons in our house. You said we always let each oda know if we got's a guest, so we know who it is and if dey are safe."

"I know, baby." Freddie said as he lifted up the padded mattress and quilts and walked down the hall to his laundry room. He really ought to burn them but not with Niema watching. He threw them on top his washing machine before walking back out of the room and back into his living room where Niema was. "It was a last minute decision. No one was supposed to stay here other than you or me."

Freddie walked back into the kitchen with his daughter on his heels.

"So, why you let someone stay, Daddy?"

"They needed help." Freddie said as he picked up his Wintown ranger uniform jacket from the same chair he picked up his shirt from. There were red stripes on either side of the white jacket.

"What kinda help?"

"They needed a place to stay."

"Were dey homeless?"

Freddie paused as he put his arms in the jacket's sleeves.

"…Yes…They were."

"So you let a homeless person stay here, Daddy? Dat's awfully nice of you."

"…Yeah…" Freddie murmured to himself.

"But ain't dat against da rules your boss lady say? Miss 'Lita? Can't you'se get in trouble for dat?"

"Niema –"

"I won't tell, of course. Dat's a willy nice ting ta do, it is. Can we let a homeless pokémon stay here tonight?"

Freddie chuckled at hearing that.

"No, baby."

"Please, Daddy?"

"No. It's not safe to let wild pokémon sleepover."

"But you letta homeless person stay and –"

"Niema!"

Niema went quiet at the sound of her father's raised voice.

Seeing that he startled her, Freddie walked over to his daughter and knelled down to meet her on eye level.

"Look, baby. I'm running kind of late for work. I don't have time to drive you all the way down to the Pokémon Breeder Center today. How would you like to come with me to work?"

Niema's eyes lit up.

"You mean it, Daddy! I gets to go on missions wit yah?"

"Well, I don't know about going out on missions, but you can stay at the base and play with Silent Chris for the day. He's stationed at the base today so he'll be available to do anything for you. I might even be able to get him to get you breakfast so you won't have to eat porridge."

Niema squealed in delight.

"Yayyy! I get to play wit Uncle Chris! We can go riding on da Dragonite Bus, and we can watch Pocket Monsters and play dolls an –"

"But you gotta hurry up and get ready. Go on upstairs and pick out your clothes and wait for me in the bathroom. I'll be up in a minute to give you a bath."

"Yayyy! All day adventures wit Uncle Chris! And no nasty porridge! Dis is gonna be so much fun!" Niema yelled as she sprinted up the stairs to her bedroom.

Freddie shook his head as he stood back up to his feet.

'_Sorry Chris. I owe you one.'_

Seeing his wallet on the floor, Freddie sighed. He picked it up and put it in his pack. He made a mental note to get his checkbook from his dresser in his bedroom. He was definitely going to have to go to the bank today.

Taking out his styler, Freddie called the Wintown Ranger Base.

_Riiiiing! Riiiiing! Riiii –_

_"Wintown Ranger Base. This is Shauna. How may I help you today?"_

"Hey, Shauna. I'm gonna be late coming in today. I got caught up in a situation at home and there are some things I have to take care of before I come in. You think you can let Leader know for me, please?"

"_Sure. How late are you going to be?"_

"Maybe an hour. Hour and a half. I still have to get Niema ready and I have to go run an errand before I come in."

"_Okay, I'll let her know. But please don't dawdle. We have a meeting at 9:00 and you need to be present then."_

"I will. Thank you. Oh, and uh…Tell Chris I need a favor?"

"_Come on, Freddie. You know he's got desk work today. He's already bummed about not being able to assist Leader."_

"Please, Shauna. I really need some help today."

"…_(sigh)…Alright, Freddie. I'll talk to him. But don't make this a habit. This is not a daycare center. We need the workspace for other things."_

"I know. Thank you, Shauna. You're a lifesaver. I owe you."

"_Don't you always?" _

"Tell Chris I'll pay him for the trouble."

"_You know he won't accept it. But fine. Just don't tarry, okay?"_

"I won't. Thanks again, Shauna."

"_Mhmm. See you then."_

"See you."

Disconnecting the call, Freddie walked back into the kitchen. He picked up the container he had taken out earlier and put it back in the fridge. As he closed the door, he saw that a white piece of paper had fallen down from the kitchen counter.

Curious as to what it was, Freddie walked over to it and picked it up.

_Sorry, Freddie-Bear. I hurts real bad. Will pay back. _

Balling up the note in his hand, Freddie felt his anger rising yet again.

No more. Not again. Freddie decided then and there that no matter what, he would never let that woman back into his house ever again.

"Daddy! Come on! I got's my clothes!" he heard Niema call from upstairs.

"I'm coming."

Taking off the ceiling fan, Freddie headed out of the kitchen. He tossed the crumpled piece of paper into the garbage can before making his way upstairs to his daughter.

For Niema's sake, it could not happen again. He would make sure of that.

* * *

A dark figure entered a towering, office building-like structure. Locking the door behind them, the figure then proceeded down the long walkway. Walking down all the way to the back of the establishment, the figure came upon a steel door with a panel beside it.

Taking off their black gloves, they placed their hand on the green screen. A red laser scanned the handprint before making a light _beep! _sound and glowing blue. The steel door in front rumbled as it slid to the side.

Putting back on the glove, the person stepped inside, the steel door shutting closed once they entered.

There was a long narrow hallway behind the door which led to another steel door.

Reaching into their belt pack, the person took out a traveling size of aerosol spray and sprayed it in the air. Condensates of the released liquid particles created scattered light that ionized into green laser beams. Putting the spray back into their belt pack and using several gymnastics skills and moves, the person was able to maneuver around the beams and safely make their way to the end of the hall.

The effect from the spray wore off and the beams appeared to dissipate as the figure took out a keycard and slid it through a magnetic card reader lock. The door at the end of the hall drew up into the ceiling, allowing entry for the person. The door slowly shut behind them as they entered an elevator that was in the back of this vacant room. Pushing a hidden button in the elevator, another panel folded down. Typing in several numbers before recording their handprint again, the individual rode all the way up to the top floor.

There was another figure sitting in a rolling chair at the far end of the room.

"You're back."

"Yes, I am," said the person. "It was difficult to get away at first but you know I revel in a challenge, my Lady. Especially if it means I get to toy with those pesky rangers."

The other person smirked.

"Yes. They can be…troublesome…"

"No need to worry, my Lady. They are no match for me and my supreme intelligence, only rivaled by you, of course. "

"Well, let's see just how high your intelligence ranks. Have you got the information for me?"

"Yes." They held up a manila folder. "Everything you need to know about _them_ is in here."

"Excellent. Bring it here."

Walking up to the woman, the person handed her the stuffed folder. She quickly skimmed through it.

"Is this all you were able to snatch?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Those rangers have really amped up their security since that incident. But, no worries. Everything you need to know for your plan is right in there."

"For your sake, I hope so." She replied sharply. "Are you ready for your next recon?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

The woman's right eye twitched.

"What did you just call me?"

"Uh…uh…I said I am, Milady. I said I am." The person gushed out nervously.

"Humph." The woman said as she looked back down at her files. "I need you to go to Kanto to pick up something for me. Well, some things for me. But let's start small so not to attract too much attention. On the Southeast coast of the region is Cinnabar Island. Go there first. There's an old abandoned mansion there with something I need. Journals. Multiple journals actually, but one in particular I need. In the lowest part of the mansion a green journal is secured, with information about the then discovery of a new species of Pokémon. They are written by a deceased famous scientist named Dr. Fuji. He recorded his last project in those entries…Get them. Bring me all of those journals, the one in the basement in particular. Then, I want you to apprehend the great great grandson of that researcher who worked on those journals. You think you can handle that?"

"Not a problem, Milady."

"Good." Reaching on her desk, the woman pulled out a red folder and tossed it to her admin. "In there is everything you need to know about the structure of the mansion. It's decrepit and abandoned so I don't expect there to be too much security, but you can never be too sure with these people. Be vigilant."

"All shall be done, Ma…Your Highness. I'll be back in two shakes of a Furret's tail."

"Don't be too hasty. You've infiltrated quite nicely here. Play the cards for a little while longer before leaving on your mission. I don't want those rangers on our trail. Milk it some more before making your departure. Porygon will transport you to the Silph Co. building afterwards. Are we clear?"

"Crystal."

"Good. You shall leave my presence now."

Bowing their head, the individual turned around and entered the elevator, heading back downstairs.

The woman smiled menacingly as she swirled back around in her chair, flipping through the files her subordinate gave her.

"It's only a matter of time now. When I'm through, they will all realize what I'm trying to accomplish. They will finally see my sovereign vision."


	5. Chapter 5

The lowest level of the all the Ranger bases in Fiore contained a physical fitness training room. It hosted various exercising equipment including a series of exercising machines used for strength training and cardio training – treadmills, dumbbells, bikes, punching bags, bench presses and even rowers. To the far corner of the room were three rather large bookcases. But instead of books, the shelves were stocked with potions, vitamins, and rare candies for the pokémon as well as energy drinks and water for the rangers.

It had been two weeks since Lunick was discharged from the hospital and he was finally ready to get back to work. He'd been given the all-clear from his doctor to return to his usual everyday activities but just to prove to his Leader he was ready to get back in the field, he added one hour of aerobic exercise to his workout routine and kept a record of his endurance and stamina. He also recorded his respiratory rate and wore a heart rate monitor watch and chest strap to track his heart rate. Going the extra mile to prove his fitness paid off as his Leader gave him the go-ahead to return to work that morning, which Lunick was happy to hear. He hated sitting around doing nothing nearly as much as Solana did. After he was finished with his morning run, he was to sign in and start immediately.

Also in the Ringtown Ranger Base's gym was Freddie, aggressively pounding a green punching bag. After dropping Niema off at the center earlier that morning he had been called on a mission at the Kisara Plains. He was finished quickly enough and probably should have returned back to Wintown, but after greeting Lunick on his way in the base he decided it was best to stay a little while longer, wanting to relieve some of his built up tension.

And from the way Freddie was attacking that punching bag, Lunick could tell he was letting off some serious steam.

"Man…" Lunick said between gasps. "You're really giving it to that punching bag?"

"Yeah, well," Freddie said in between punches, "I gotta lot of anger inside me I have to release before returning to work."

"Something wrong?"

Freddie continued to pound the heavy duty exercise bag.

"Just a pest problem I've been having. It's annoying the hell out of me and it's affecting my performance at work. The whole situation is really aggravating."

"Wanna talk about it?" Lunick asked, seriously.

Freddie stopped punching the bag, breathing heavily.

"It's just…The more I think about it the angrier I…get!" Freddie punched the bag hard with his right fist on the last word, subconsciously to punctuate that last word.

"Keeping things bottled up inside you is never a good thing."

"That's why I'm here. Trying to release some of my frustrations before I return back to Wintown for my next assignment."

Lunick started running faster on the treadmill.

"Does Leader Eilta know you're troubled?"

"I haven't told her but I know she can sense it. I'm pretty sure everyone down there knows it. I haven't exactly been discreet, even though I try hard to be."

Minun and Freddie's Weavile were having a strength training pokémon battle in the back of the training room.

"Maybe you should be upfront about it? Elita may be able to help you better if you let her know what's bothering you."

Freddie sighed.

"I don't feel comfortable talking about it. Besides, she's got her own stuff to be worrying about."

"But keeping it pent up won't help you either."

Freddie pulled off the padded fingerless black gloves he was wearing.

"That's why I was having it out with this bag. Thought it would help calm me down."

"Did it help?"

Again Freddie sighed.

"No. It only made me more mad."

Lunick looked down at his heart rate monitor watch before looking back up ahead of him.

"Then…I say talk to someone about it. What have you got to lose? It may be cathartic."

Freddie walked over to the weightlifting section of the room and sat down on the table of one of the barbell bench presses.

"I told you, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. How is talking about it going to be any better?"

"You'd be surprised by the relief you'd feel from getting something off your chest, believe me," Lunick said as he turned off the treadmill. He jotted down his results on a notepad he had resting on top of the treadmill. Taking his towel that was spread across one of the handles of the treadmill, Lunick wiped the sweat that was dripping from his face before hanging the towel around his neck.

"Yeah, well. Unless I need to tell someone my business, I think I'd rather keep my personal life private."

Lunick rolled his neck.

"Suit yourself, man. But you know I'm here for you if you need me?"

Freddie smiled weakly.

"Yeah. Thanks, man."

"Always," Lunick said as he walked over to him and gave him a mid-five handshake. "You'll figure everything out, I'm sure."

"I hope so."

Lunick then walked over to one of the other barbell presses and lowered himself underneath it, grasping the weight.

"So, you're retuning to the field today?" asked Freddie.

"Yep," Lunick breathed as he lifted the weight upwards with his hands, careful not to lock in his elbows, then lowered it down to his chest and completing one repetition. "Gotta be in tiptop shape."

"I commend you on working so hard but do you really need to do some reps right now? You just ran for like two hours."

Lunick raised the weight again.

"Too pumped to stop now. Besides, I gotta look my best for that shoot this afternoon."

Freddie put his hand to his chin.

"Yeah, I nearly forgot. Niema's been prepping me for it herself."

"She's prepped you?"

"Yeah, you know: taking pictures, wearing makeup, strutting her stuff."

Lunick again lowered the weight down to his chest.

"Strutting? She does know this is not a runway show?"

Freddie chuckled.

"I did it to humor her. Anytime an opportunity for her to smile and enjoy herself presents itself, I welcome it."

"She does have a pretty smile."

Lunick completed twenty reps before putting the weight back on the hook. He sat up and looked at his heart rate monitor watch, the recorded the time and rate before taking off the timer. Then he walked over to the fridge located by one of storage shelves and took out a bottle of water. He took several large gulps.

Freddie got up as well.

"I bet the girls are hyped for it. It's probably like a dream come true."

Lunick swallowed the water he had in his mouth and screwed the cap back on the top of the water bottle.

"Well, for Leilani, yes…I'm not so sure that's the case with Solana."

"Why? She's got some preshow jitters?"

"Well, it's a little more than jitters. It's like full blown anxiety."

"Really?"

Lunick nodded.

"She confided in me the other day how scared she was about doing the whole thing after you guys left the mall."

"She's scared?"

Again Lunick nodded.

"Very scared. Petrified even. Abnormally so."

"But we've taken pictures before?"

"That's what I said. Apparently, it's different in her eyes. I told her if she was so uncomfortable about it not to do it. But she's determined to. I'm a little worried about her going through with it."

"Well, Solana is pretty reserved." Freddie thought before he shook his head. "But I'm sure she'll be fine. This is Solana we're talking about."

Lunick looked away briefly.

"Yeah…My girl's strong but she's still human." He whispered. He looked back up at Freddie. "Hopefully Leilani will be able to help calm her down about it. They're out shopping again."

"Again?! What is it with girls and shopping?"

"Beats me." Lunick shrugged. "They got a little break after completing a mission this morning and the first thing they did was go to the mall to drop some bills."

Freddie shook his head again before looking up at the wall clock.

"I think I'm gonna be heading out now, man. I really need to get back to Wintown. I'm sure Leader has some work for me to do."

Lunick nodded.

"Alright. Just make sure you shower before you go. Don't want your reekage to permeate the entire base."

"Look who's talking? Even your sweat is sweating. What would Sole say about this?"

"As if. My lady loves my manly muskiness."

"A Skunktank wouldn't like your muskiness."

"Ouch! Harsh, dude. A Skunktank? Really?"

Freddie laughed. "Let's go, Weavile!"

Freddie's Weavile saluted Minun before hopping out of the ring and running up to her ranger.

"See you later, man."

"Alright." Lunick said as he picked up another towel and wiped his face. "And bathe, dude! You stink!"

"Skunktank, hombre! Skunktank!" Freddie shouted back as he left the room.

Running up to Lunick, Minun held up a wet washcloth.

"Thanks, buddy," Lunick said as he took the small cloth and wiped his face with it.

Minun then screwed up his face in disgust.

"Mai Mai! Mai Mai!"

"What is it?" Lunick asked.

Coughing, Minun ran away from Lunick before retuning shortly afterwards with a spray can of body deodorant and spritzing it several times on Lunick.

"Hey!" Lunick cried as he snatched the can of body deodorant from Minun. "I don't smell that bad, Minun!"

"Mai Mai!" Minun argued. He crossed his little arms before pointing to the men's locker room on the far left side of the gym.

"Mai Mai!"

Lunick arched his eyebrow before looking back down at Minun.

"Really? You're talking about me but after that battle you just had with Weavile I think someone else here needs a bath."

Minun's expression instantly changed from anger to fear.

"Mai Mai!"

"Oh, yes you do. Come here, Minun."

"Mai Mai!"

Minun quickly tried to get away but Lunick was too quick and scooped him up. The little mouse pokémon flailed as his human took him in the back to the shower.

* * *

"Okay. How 'bout this one?" Leilani asked as she held up the bikini. She had been pressing Solana to get a new swimsuit all week.

"Have you lost your mind?" Solana cried as she eyed the skimpy white bikini. "I'm not wearing that! You'd be able to see everything once I got wet."

"Hehe…That's kinda the point, Sole," Leilani said slyly.

Solana folded her arms and glared at her.

"No."

Leilani sighed as she hung the hanger back on the rack and went back to browsing.

"Man, Sole. You take the fun out of everything. Live a little. Carpe Diem. I'm sure Lunick would've loved that."

"Lunick and every other red-blooded male who saw me in that."

"Not if you only wore it for him. Like say in, I don't know, a Jacuzzi?"

Solana gave her a serious face.

"No."

Leilani sucked her teeth and once again started rummaging through the clothes.

"I don't see why I can't just wear my blue bikini with the red ribbons. It's only three years old."

"Girlfriend, you were just a girl when you bought that. You're a woman now with womanly assets. That bikini would fit you no better than the one I just showed you…Actually, you know what? Go ahead and wear it. It was really cute."

Solana shook her head.

"You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?"

"That I am." Leilani said cheerily. "You're so easy to mess with."

"Haha. Very funny."

"How about this one?" she held up a sleek, strapless celeste blue bikini. The top and bottom both were layered in ruffles and lined with dangling pale pink fiesta-fashion pom poms. "It's designer. _PilyQ Pom Pom Ruffle Bandeau Bikini_."

Solana took the bikini from Leilani and held it.

"It's nice. Really nice. You'd have to have a killer bod' to work this."

"Which you do," Leilani said as she started pushing her to the fitting room. "Now try it on."

After Solana stripped out of her clothes and stepped into the bikini she looked at herself critically in the full length mirror for a long while before Leilani called her out for taking so long.

She squealed when she saw her best friend in the swimsuit.

"Oh my gosh! You look amazing!"

"Are you sure?" Solana asked, uneasily.

"Of course! Look at you! That bikini was made for you! It shows off your body so fully! It hugs every one of your curves so perfectly and shows off your flat taut stomach so amazingly! The light blue color matches your hair so fantastically and it accentuates your eyes so richly. They appear to sparkle and glow so brightly. Hell, your eyes are practically aflame! Turn around for me?"

Solana did just that.

"And it shows off your tush so deliciously. A perfect mix of seduction, class, elegance, innocence, and beauty. You look as heavenly as the color of the bikini. Doesn't she guys?"

Plusle nodded her head excitedly while standing on a bench.

"Plah Pla! Pla Pla!" Plusle cried as she waved her tiny paws. Lucario didn't comment. He opened his eyes briefly to see what his human was talking about before bowing his head back down and closing his eyes in thought.

"You so need to get that!"

Solana turned back around.

"Are you sure? I feel so…exposed."

"Of course you're exposed, Sole. It's a bikini. But you look so good! This will drive Lunick mad crazy. How I wish I had abs like yours."

"Well, I wish I had a cup size and butt like yours."

"Girl, please. You're hot and you know it."

Solana smiled weakly.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Leilani, but I'm still not sure. I mean, don't you need to have a bikini body to wear a bikini?"

"Solana, if you can wear a bikini, you have a bikini body. This suit is totally your style!"

"Plah Pla!"

"See, Plusle agrees. And who knows you better than me and her? There's no doubt Lunick would love it. You said it yourself; he'd think you look good in a paper bag. Well, how do you think this is gonna make him feel, girl?"

Solana shyly looked away, hugging herself as she usually did when she was uncomfortable or sad.

"I'm not too sure…You've got to be like model quality to wear bikinis like this."

"Well, we are models now, aren't we?" Leilani said assuredly with a smile. "I mean, we were hired by the one and only Victorian Starsi."

"Yeah…right…" Solana whispered.

Her sad demeanor did not go unnoticed by Leilani and Plusle.

"What's up, Sole? Something wrong?"

"Plah Pla?"

Solana looked back up at Leilani.

"No. I just…I just feel a little self-conscious."

Leilani walked up to her and put her hand around her girlfriend's shoulder.

"We're all a little self-conscious, Sole. Don't let your insecurities get the better of you, girl. Trust me when I say you look amazing."

"Pla Plah!" Plusle nodded.

Again, Solana smiled weakly.

"Thanks, Leil. I can always count on you. You too, Plusle."

"Pla Pla!"

"Always." Leilani replied. "Now go ahead and strip outta that thing so the cashier can ring it up."

"Have you seen the price on this thing, Leil?"

"Yep." She said easily. "And it's totally worth it. Go on and take it off. I've gotta get a new 'kini too, remember?"

Solana shook her head as she was pushed back into the fitting room by Leilani. She knew it didn't matter what she said, Leilani was going to make her buy it anyway. Or buy it herself if she didn't.

Leilani pulled out another designer bathing suit – a turquoise seafoam-colored _Wildfox Swim Goldie Tankini_. She went into the fitting room to try it on before walking back out to get feedback from Solana. The top featured a scoop neck, adjustable spaghetti straps, and a flowy overlay with "Wildfox" written across on the front of it. The flap could also be flipped up to reveal two hearts on either side of the chest. The panty piece of the tankiki also featured a flowy drape that made it appear to look like a skirt, but it could also be flipped up like the top to reveal a heart in the center of the groin.

Solana put her hand under her chin.

"It's…nice?"

"You don't sound too sure there, Sole." Leilani observed.

Solana lowered her hand.

"No, it really does look nice. The color is really good on you and compliments your complexion nicely…It's just the hearts underneath the overlay are kind of…suggestive."

Leilani flipped her hand.

"That's just for fun to amuse the wearer of the suit. Kinda like that whole coconut and starfish gag."

"And that joke is suggestive too. I'm telling you, this thing has a racy undertone going on with these hearts."

"All in good fun, Sole. Don't take it so seriously. It's not like anyone's gonna see the hearts anyway. I'm keeping the covering down."

"I guess." Solana shrugged.

Leilani stepped back into the changing room to put back on her clothes.

"It's different. I like different. Think I'm gonna get it. If for no other reason than to drive our guys crazy."

That piqued Solana's interest.

"Come again? Our guys?"

Leilani gasped quietly as she quickly tried to recover.

"I-I meant your guy. Lunick. Your suit's gonna drive him crazy."

Solana folded her arms again with a sly smile this time.

"You already said that earlier. And besides, we weren't even talking about me just now. We were talking about your suit."

"I, uh…I mean…" Leilani stammered as she held out the bikini over the top of the fitting room door for Solana to take as she finished getting ready.

Solana took it.

"Don't even try to Wurmple your way out of this, Leil. I heard you clear as day. You've got a man?"

"No…Not technically."

"Leil…"

Leilani timidly stepped out of the changing room.

"Well…It's not really official…"

"Is it who I think it is?" Solana asked slowly, dragging out every word for emphasis.

Leilani nervously rubbed the back of her neck.

"Um…well…It might be…"

Solana lifted both her eyebrows, mimicking a roguish smile and facial expression that Leilani had launched upon her many a times.

Leilani jokingly shoved her as they started walking towards the cashier. Their pokémon followed behind them.

"Okay. It's Alejandro."

"I knew it!" Solana exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me you guys had become an item?"

"Because technically, we're not. We've been hanging out a lot, yes, but nothing above anything you'd usually do with a good friend."

"Good friend?"

"Granted, we haven't known each other that long and there's still a lot of stuff I don't know about him…but he just makes me feel so good about myself. So alive."

"I know the feeling."

Both girls put their swimsuits on the counter for the cashier.

"We've been going to the movies, to walks in the park, we've played basketball. He's even accompanied me to the mall."

"That sounds like dating to me."

"Yeah, well, not officially." Leilani said as she handed the cashier her debit card. "We haven't exactly told each other if we feel any sort of way but the sexual tension is through the roof! My God! I'm trying so hard not to fall too fast and easy for this guy."

Solana and Leilani each picked up their respective shopping bag as Leilani took her card back from the cashier and they exited the store.

"Well, he seems like a nice guy."

"He is!" Leilani exhaled. "UH! This whole situation is driving me crazy."

"Why don't you just tell him that you like him, Leil?"

"I don't want to come off like I'm crazy. I mean, I barely know the guy. I don't want to move too fast with him. Furthermore, I don't want to open myself up for another heartbreak."

Leilani sighed and stopped walking.

"I just don't want to go through that again, Sole. Really liking somebody, hoping that they'll feel the same way and then come to find out that they don't…It hurts a lot…"

Solana nodded her head slowly. Leilani was crushed when she discovered that Murph had feelings for Aria. The pain she saw in her friend's very essence was so intense, Solana found herself crying to Lunick about Leilani's situation. It took Leilani several weeks to even pull herself together so that she could go to work and do her job at the bare minimum.

"Well, I'm glad you're being cautious, Leil. That really is the best way to go."

Again, Leilani sighed.

"I know. It's just driving me mad. I know he's been direct and flirtatious with me before so I know there's something there…He makes me weak in the knees just by smiling at me…But in a way, that kind of makes me scared. That he can affect me so much by barely doing anything. I don't wanna be weak, Solana."

"Oh, Leilani," Solana cooed, "You're not weak for being infatuated with a guy. You feel what you feel. Don't be ashamed of that."

"I'm not ashamed…Just wary."

Solana patted her on the back.

"You'll be fine, Leilani. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. Don't force it. Just keep doing what you're doing and you'll be okay. You're friends so it's a start."

"I guess you're right." She admitted as they started walking again. "I just hope I'm not too gaga over Alejandro to focus on the shoot today."

Solana's eyes went wide as she stopped walking.

"S-Shoot?"

Leilani stopped ahead of her and looked back.

"Yeah, we have our first photo shoot with Starsi's crew at 3:00. Did you forget?"

"No…I didn't forget…I just didn't realize it was so soon."

Leilani was confused.

"Are you sure you're okay, Sole? You look like one of the girls in a scary movie who are tormented by a paranormal haunted house."

Solana chuckled nervously.

"Oh, no. I was just…thinking. Lost in my thoughts for a moment."

"What kind of thoughts?"

"Oh, nothing in particular," she said as she hurriedly rushed passed Leilani. "I've got to hurry up and get back to the base. Gotta be ready in case I get called on a mission. Okay, ba-bye, Leil! Let's go Plusle."

"Pla Plah!"

Leilani watched her friend nearly sprint down the path to East Road with Plusle running swiftly behind her.

"What was that all about, Lucario?"

"Loo." Her partner pokémon replied questioningly. Living with Leilani for a while now he had learned a lot about humans, but he was just as confused about his mistress' comrade's behavior as she was.

* * *

Spenser sighed as he finished writing up his report for the Union. After a few weeks of unpaid leave, he was just starting to return back to work intermittently. He had been working from home mostly but it just wasn't the same as working from the base. While it was true that most of his rangers were already at the Top Ranger status, he was still their Area Leader, and as such, he still had commandant directive over them. Most of his rangers were out on missions at the moment so that gave him some much needed time to catch up on his administrative work and manage his files.

Murph was busy changing the light bulbs in the base's lobby. He had spent most of the day changing light fixtures but it was better than sitting around in the base with absolutely nothing to do. Standing on an extension ladder, Murph held the glass part of the light with both hands and turned the dome counter-clockwise to loosen it. After detaching the dome, Murph held it out with his left hand for his partner. Slowking took possession of the glass dome with his Psychic and passed Murph two florescent light bulbs. After tampering with the wires and uninstalling and reinstalling the light fixture pan, Murph took out the dead light bulbs and inserted the new ones.

"Okay, Slowking. I'm ready for the dome."

Nodding, Slowking levitated the glass dome that covered the bulbs back up to Murph.

Taking the hollow hemisphere, Murph carefully secured the glass dome over the bulbs before turning it clockwise to tighten the hold. He let go it once he couldn't turn it anymore.

Just then, Aria entered the base, her Meowth tucked into the pet purse that hung from her shoulder.

Murph smiled and immediately lit up.

Aria approached Spenser's desk.

"Excuse me, Leader Spenser?"

"Yes, Aria. What can I do for you?" Spenser asked as he looked up from the form he finished filling out.

"My Leader Joel sent me over here to pick up something from you. Said it was for the Professor?"

"Ah, yes." Spenser said, getting up. "Wait right there, Aria. I'll be right back."

Spenser headed to the base's elevator and took it to the upper level.

Murph quickly scurried down the ladder and excitedly approached his girlfriend.

"Aria!" he shouted ecstatically as he took off his black textile gloves.

Aria looked up at Murph and slightly raised her eyebrows.

"Hi, Murph."

Murph could barely contain his excitement.

"I can't believe you're here!"

"I won't be for long. I'm still on a mission right now. Just stopped by to run an errand for my Leader."

"Yeah, I know you're busy workin'," Murph nodded. "But it's still so good to see you. You look very pretty today."

Aria faked a small smile.

"Thank you, Murph…You look…nice…too."

"Really?" Murph asked joyfully. "'Cause I've been trying to do what you say and eat better and I really think –"

"Here you go, Aria," Spenser said as he exited the elevator.

"Thank God," Aria muttered under her breath.

Spenser handed her the package.

"The Professor's been waiting for that package. Make sure to check it in with Joel before you deliver it to him."

"Yes, sir."

Spenser walked back over to his desk.

Murph frowned.

"You're leaving now?"

"Still working. On a mission, remember?" Aria said as she placed the parcel in her pack.

"Oh. Yeah…" Murph said dejectedly.

Aria glanced back up at Murph briefly before hesitantly placing her hand on the side of his cheek.

"Don't…worry…I'll text you when I get off. Okay?"

That cheered Murph up.

"Really?"

"Mhmm. And I'll try extra hard to remember this time. Okay?"

Murph nodded.

"Okay."

Smiling weakly, Aria kissed Murph lightly on the cheek before walking out of the door to deliver the package to her boss.

Murph stared at the glass sliding doors for a long while before his partner snapped him out of it.

Looking down at Slowking, Murph nodded and went back to changing the light bulbs in the base's lobby.

It was then that Solana and Plusle entered the base.

Spenser again looked up from his desk and smiled.

"Hello, Solana. Are you done with your break? You still have ten minutes left."

"Hello, Leader. And yes. I'm done."

"Good."

Solana looked around the base. "Where's Lunick?"

"He's on a mission in the Olive Jungle."

"You sent him on a mission without me?" Solana asked.

Spenser stood up from his desk and approached Solana with a two folders in his hand.

"You were out on your break. I really didn't want to bother you and Lunick was eager to get back work. He contacted me not too long ago to inform me he was wrapping up. He should report back here soon. When he does, I have another mission I would like the two of you to tackle as a team."

"Yes, Leader." Solana answered.

Spenser nodded.

"Good. I have to enter these files into the Union's database. You think you can manage the front desk for me while I go enter these? I still need you to type up your report from this morning."

"Yes, Leader."

Nodding again, Spenser made his way back over to the base's elevator and again took it to the upper level while Solana made her way to her Leader's desk.

"Hello, Solana." Murph greeted from atop the ladder.

"Hello, Murph." Solana replied back she took a seat in her Leader's chair and rested her shopping bag down. Plusle hopped up onto Spenser's desk.

"How're you doing today?"

"I'm great. I mean, you know, changing light bulbs all day isn't all that fun but seeing all the folks come in and ask for help makes it not so tedious. What about you?"

"Oh, I can't complain," Solana answered as she logged into Spenser computer. "I don't mind cleaning the Waterworks but we're really gonna have to try to find a suitable home for those Muk and Grimer. They've been away from their natural habitat for so long they've turned the entire sewage system into a sludge storage area. All of Waterworks has become a slimy cesspool of bacteria. Some of that gunk is backing up into the pipes. If we don't do something proactive about it soon and mitigate its effects on the surrounding atmosphere, all that sludge is gonna increase environmental degradation and drain the land of its sustainability. A lot of pokémon will suffer if we don't do something about it, not to mention the city."

"The Area Leaders and Professor Hastings are already in discussion with the mayor about rerouting the sewers to a wastewater treatment plant as opposed to just letting the drainage flow back into the ocean. They're talking about setting it up in the fields beyond that industrial factory in the west but the mayor's not too keen on that idea with the function hall building already having been postponed on construction for that site. I'm sure they'll come to an agreement, though."

"I hope so," Solana said as she continued typing up her report from her morning mission.

Just then a young girl about a year or two younger than Solana entered the base. She had blonde hair pulled to the side of her head in a tight ponytail with a blue scrunchie and wore a torn up and partially burnt frilly blue dress.

"Please, you must help me," she cried breathlessly.

Solana looked up.

"How can I –" Solana began before she stopped midsentence as she looked at the girl.

"Iyori?" Solana questioned.

"Please, I need help," the young girl replied.

"Oh my, you look awful." Murph said as he climbed down the ladder. "Do you need medical assistance? We have a nurse if you need –"

"I do not need a doctor," she cut him off. "I need to find the boy that rescued me. I need to find Renjā Lunick."

"Lunick?" Solana asked. "What do you want with, Lunick?"

Iyori still wore a look of distress on her face.

"I need him. He said he would protect me. Keep me safe."

Solana stood up and walked around to desk to Iyori.

"Well, my boyfriend's not here right now but maybe some else here can help you."

"No!" she said as she pushed her hand away. "Renjā Lunick will keep me safe. He promised! I am only safe when I am with him! He said so himself! I must find him. I must find Lunick-chan."

Solana's eyes flared slightly. That hit a nerve.

"Well, Iyori. Again, my _boyfriend_ is not here right now and is currently out on a mission. But maybe someone else here can help you with what you need."

"No one else will do. Only Lunick-san will keep me safe. He promised! I must find him!"

"Oh, now he's Lunick-san?" Solana asked suspiciously. "What happened to the little term of endearment you just used?"

"I do not know what you mean?" Iyori asked confused.

"Oh, I think you know exactly what I mean." Solana replied back sharply.

Murph could feel the fire rising within Solana and held up his hands to separate the two of them.

"Okay, let's just take a step back here, Solana. Iyori came here for help so we gotta help her, right?"

"What kind of help is it that you want, Iyori?" Solana asked coldly.

Iyori's eyes hardened.

"I told you. I need to find Renjā Lunick. That man will find me and kill me! Lunick-san promised to protect me. Said I was safe so long as I was with him always."

"We're not bodyguards, Iyori. We can't follow you around 24/7." Solana answered as she folded her arms.

"Iyori," Murph began. "We can get you partnered up with a counselor and find out what your needs are. We can get you some temporary housing until you can figure things out."

"No! No!" Iyori slammed her hands down at her sides, startling Murph. "I cannot stay in some strange place! That man will track me down and kill me! I am not safe anywhere but with Lunick-san!"

"He's not here!" Solana yelled back. "We can get you in touch with relief services but that's as far as our courtesy extends."

"No! I must find Lunick-chan!"

"You just did it again!" Solana spat out. "How dare you?! You don't even know him!"

"Solana, calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down, Murph! I may not be fluent in Japanese like Lunick but I know terms of endearment when I hear them!"

"Where is he?! You tell me where he is!" Iyori yelled.

"Excuse me?!" Solana started walking towards the frightened young girl but Murph held her back.

"Solana, please."

"Where is he?! Where is Renjā Lunick?!"

"Um…What is going on here?"

All three of them turned around to see a confused young man with Prussian blue hair and teal highlights enter the base.

"Lunick-chan!" Iyori cried as she rushed to him and fiercely hugged him, crying hysterically into his shoulder.

Lunick was surprised by the sudden embrace. He uncomfortably put his hands around her and rubbed her on the back to try and console her.

"There There. It's alright. You're safe, Iyori. Anata wa anzendesu." _You are safe._

Lunick looked back up and mouthed "What's wrong?" to Murph, who just shrugged and nodded his head to Solana, who he was still holding lightly with one arm around her back and one holding her left hand.

Lunick looked at Solana and mouthed "What's wrong?" to her but she only responded by looking away. Lunick looked back to Murph for an answer but he just shook his head, indicating that he couldn't talk about it right now.

Lunick didn't understand what was going on but he had to try and get Iyori to calm down. He continued to rub her on her back.

"Sore wa daijōbudesu. Naite teishi shite kudasai. Subete ga daijōbu ni narudarou. Yakusoku shimasu." _It is okay. Please stop crying. Everything is going to be okay. I promise._

Solana growled at seeing Lunick hold another girl. Iyori lifted her head up from Lunick's shoulder.

"I was so scared. How could you leave me there? You promised you would keep me safe!"

"I was discharged from the hospital, Iyori. I couldn't stay there. Somebody else would need that bed."

"But something could have happened to me! That man could have found me!"

"He would not have found you. The hospital is safe. And I made sure another ranger was there to watch you so that you'd feel less vulnerable."

"It did not work! Renjā Ken did not make me feel safe! Only you make me feel safe, Renjā Lunick. Only you can protect me. You saved me!"

"Uhhhh…" Lunick really did not know how to respond to Iyori's hysteria. He knew she was still very fragile but it didn't appear that she was listening to him at all.

Spenser returned back downstairs and stepped off the elevator.

"Lunick! You're back."

"Yes, Sir." Lunick replied back uneasily.

He noticed the demeanor of all his rangers and he was a little unsettled. Then he noticed the young girl Lunick was embracing.

"Um, would someone care to inform me what is going on here?"

Lunick tried to loosen himself from Iyori's grasp but she would not let go.

"Leader, this is Iyori. This is the girl who I rescued from the burning apartment building two weeks ago."

"Oh," Spenser replied, "Well, I'm sorry to hear about your misfortune, Iyori. But we're here to help you as much as we can. Have you spoken to a counselor yet?"

"Counselor?"

Spenser looked at Lunick.

"Why hasn't she spoken to somebody?"

"As far as I know, she was only released today. She had some pretty serious injuries from the fire."

"But still, someone should have interviewed her."

"Well, I tried. But she was just so distraught at the time I thought it best to leave it alone."

"I see," Spenser said as he returned to his desk. "I apologize for the delay Miss…I'm sorry what is your last name?"

"Aihara." She answered timidly.

"Miss Aihara. I'm sorry we were not able to assist you sooner but we can remedy that and get started right away. If you'd have a seat, I can try to get you set up with some services."

"I…Do not know…"

"It's okay. It's for your best interest, Iyori," Lunick tried to console. He walked her over to a work desk that was near Spenser and helped her sit down in the chair.

"Give me a hand here won't you, Murph?"

"Yes, Leader!" Murph said excitedly as he let go of Solana and sat in a chair next to his Area Leader. Finally, he was going to be doing something aside from checking inventory and changing light bulbs.

"Oh, and Solana and Lunick, I have your next assignment."

Solana quickly ran up to Lunick's side and held his left hand. She really did not like the way Iyori was clinging onto him.

"Did you finish writing your report, Solana?"

"No, Leader. I did not."

"Well, you can finish it when you get back. Some loud tremors have been emanating from the Krokka Tunnel. Since it is one of Fiore's major traffic arteries it is important that we determine the cause immediately and ensure that it's safe to travel. I'm worried that some civilians and trainers might get hurt en route to Fall City or Ringtown when cutting through the tunnel. We've closed it off but I'd like you to investigate to see what's going on."

"Yes, Leader." They answered in unison.

They turned around to leave.

"You're leaving?" Iyori nearly shrieked as she held on to tightly to Lunick's right arm. "You cannot leave! You promised to keep me safe."

"You are safe, Iyori. You're in a place surrounded by pokémon rangers. You're with my boss. He's the one who taught me everything I know. No one's going to let you get hurt."

"No, no! Please! Do not leave me again, Lunick-chan! Please!"

"You're starting this again, Iyori? Seriously?!" Solana asked harshly.

"Solana," Lunick whispered to her.

Spenser was starting to understand what was going on.

"Miss Aihara, I assure you, you will be very safe here and will be treated with the utmost care. We really need to get you in contact with some relief services so that you can work on returning to a life of stability and normalcy."

"Please do not leave me, Lunick-chan! Please!"

"Stop calling him that!"

"Solana!" Lunick hushed.

"Please! Please, Lunick-chan! Watashi o hōchi shinaide kudasai!" _Please do not leave me!_

"Subete wa, Iyori daijōbudesu. Anata ga osoreru koto wa nani mo arimasen. Anata wa anzendesu. Watashi o shinjite kudasai. Anata wa anzendesu. Watashi no jōshi to yūjin wa anata o tasukeru tame ni shiyou to shite imasu. Subete wa bakkin ni narimasu." _Everything is okay, Iyori. You have nothing to fear. You are safe. Believe me. You are safe. My boss and friend are going to help you. Everything will be fine._

Iyori's eyes shimmered.

"Everything's going to be fine. I promise."

"Miss Aihara, we must get started." Spenser pressed.

"It's okay, Iyori. Everything will be okay. Trust me."

Hesitantly and reluctantly, Iyori slowly released her hold on Lunick. Solana wasted no time pulling him away and out of the door. Iyori watched them go and continued to weep quietly as Spenser guided her on what to do.

* * *

"You want to tell me what all that was about, Solana?" Lunick asked as he and Solana walked through the Lyra Forest.

Plusle and Minun trailed behind them nervously.

"Me? What about you? Holding her and talking softly to her like that." Solana asked irritably.

"What are you talking about? I was trying to console her. Didn't you see how panicked she was back there? She is terrified."

"Please. You're coddling her."

"What?!" Lunick stopped walking. "How am I coddling her?"

Solana stopped walking too.

"You are treating her like she's this frail victim who needs you to hold her hand every step of the way."

"She is a victim! Her house was burnt down, Solana. She has nothing. Not to mention the fact that she's paranoid that she's going to be killed. I'm treating her no differently than I would treat any other survivor."

"I know you are. But don't tell me you didn't notice her calling you Lunick-chan."

"She was speaking from a state of panic. She's calling me that because I'm the one who rescued her from the fire. She trusts me."

Solana sighed and started walking forward again. Lunick looked at her strangely for a moment before running up to keep pace with her.

"Wait a minute, is that what this is all about? Her using honorifics with me?"

"It's not the fact that she's using honorifics, it's how she's using them. She keeps calling you Lunick-chan. That's more than just friendly."

Lunick continued to match her strides.

"It doesn't mean anything, Solana. The girl is scared out of her mind. She's addressing me that way because she feels safe with me."

"Well, I find it rude and disrespectful. It expresses endearment. Affection. Why would she be talking to you that way if she didn't feel anything?"

"She's traumatized, Solana. We've dealt with traumatized victims before."

"But none of them talked to you as if you're their lover!"

Lunick pulled back and stopped walking. He stared in disbelief at his girlfriend.

"Lover?…" He asked. "…You really think Iyori sees me as her lover?"

Solana also stopped walking.

"I don't know how she sees you, Lunick. I just don't like her talking to you that way." She said quietly.

Lunick looked down at the ground for a moment before looking back up at Solana.

"Do you believe I love you, Solana?"

"Of course I do." She replied, somewhat shocked that he would even ask her such a question.

"Then why would you even go there?" he asked incredulously. "Why do you think I would want to be with Iyori?"

"I don't think that."

"You don't think I have any self-control if another girl comes on to me? Do you really think I'm that weak-minded?"

"No."

"Then why would you say that?" Lunick asked again, this time a little harsher. "I can't believe you're reading so much into Iyori's behavior as you are, but even if we entertained the ridiculous notion that she is in love with me and sees me as her 'lover', that has absolutely nothing to do with us."

"I know –"

"Why would you even go there? How can you even think like that, especially after I made that huge declaration to you about you being my one and only –"

"Lunick, stop it!" Solana cried.

Lunick fell silent again but this time he got a good look at Solana's features. She didn't look angry or upset like she was earlier but looked more ashamed and frightened. He hadn't realized it but he was actually making her cry with the way he was scolding her. He wasn't trying to vilify her for what she said. He just didn't understand why she would say Iyori was in love with him. But perhaps there was something buried beneath the surface that held a deeper reason for why Solana said what she said.

"I…I'm sorry, Solana," Lunick apologized, surprised by how angry he had become. "I shouldn't have criticized you like that."

Solana wiped her tears and shook her head.

"…Don't apologize…You're right…I shouldn't be thinking that way…I don't know why I said what I said or behaved like I did at the base. I just became so incredibly protective and defensive, and maybe even borderline possessive of you when I heard Iyori using '–chan' when referring you. She didn't deserve that. I see she's really clingy to you but logically I know that's because of the fire and because you did in fact save her…But hearing another girl using a term of affection to you…It just gets me so riled up on the inside."

Lunick walked up to her and put his arms around her, giving her one of his peerless cathartic embraces. Solana rested her head on his chest.

"I get it, Solana. If I heard another guy calling you 'baby' or 'Lana' I'd get pretty pissed too. I'm sorry for snapping at you."

He leaned back and brought her head up to face him.

"But you don't need to worry about losing me. I don't want anyone other than you, Babe. And no one's going to take me from you. Okay?"

Solana nodded her head quickly.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Lunick replied as he hugged her again.

He held her for a little while longer before kissing her on the forehead and letting her go with one of his arms.

"Now, let's go complete this mission, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Solana replied.

Lunick smiled and hugged her with his left arm and the two of them continued their trek to the Krokka Tunnel with a relieved Plusle and Minun following behind them.

* * *

Sekra was home to many plants and pokémon. Standing in the heart of the overgrown forest was a cave encompassed in a Kapok Tree, a tall giant tropical tree that towered above the rest of the forest trees and was the den of a very prominent pokémon and his family.

Sceptile had reigned as King of the Sekrian Forest for many lunations since his father's passing. While he was honored to carry on his father's legacy, he was still skeptical about what an effective ruler he was to the forest pokémon and found himself constantly comparing his methods of leadership to his father. While he knew he would not be able to lead Sekra exactly like his father had, he wanted to try to rule as close as he could to uphold his legacy. His father bequeathed his to him his will and he had to preserve it delicately.

Aside from the many responsibilities and decisions he had to make as a leader, Sceptile was finally able to see the forest the way his father had – as a gorgeous biome overflowing with life and rich in beauty.

There was so much Sceptile loved about the Sekrian forest. The emergent trees were spaced wide apart and stood tall with umbrella-shaped canopies that grew above the forest. The upper canopy of the giant trees allowed light to be easily available. There was so much food available at upper canopy that some pokémon never went down to the forest floor. The leaves had drip spouts that allowed rain to run off, which kept them dry and prevented mold and mildew from forming in the sometimes humid environment. And it contained many various and exotic fruits, berries, and flowers he hadn't been able to enjoy as a warrior.

Sceptile thought the Sekrian forest was the most beautiful wilderness on the planet. Much of the forest's natural beauty he had overlooked while he was still Prince, but once he became King he was able to settle into his den more and was finally able to see it through his father's eyes in all its natural glory.

In addition to the duties he had as King of the Forest, he also had a responsibility to his family. Soon after his father's passing he had become the mated partner to Lopunny, the daughter of one of the forest's minder mothers and a sanctioned healer. Lopunny was always a loyal subject to the King but it was not until they were partnered together on an extended assignment by his father that he developed romantic feelings for her while she all along carried feelings for him since they were small (only he didn't know it). And not too long after their union did they welcome their first young one into the world.

The joys that came with being a parent were feelings Sceptile had not experienced before. He was unsure of what life would be like when Lopunny produced the Egg, but once his daughter hatched, Sceptile knew that his life had yet begun. Treecko was a sprightly pokémon. She was vivacious and always full of energy, always wanting to explore the forest with her father and battle to test the limits of her strength to become even more powerful. While Sceptile loved spending time with his daughter, he did have to bestow upon her the necessary teachings of being a good leader as his father had done with him, but he felt she wasn't taking her role very seriously.

Even now as he tried to guide her she was not paying attention. He had teased his comrade Absol about young rearing when she was still an Egg, but he had not realized that young rearing would be so frustrating.

Treecko continued to giggle at she continued to make her tail glow white while practicing charging her Pound attack.

Sceptile closed his eyes and gave an irritated sigh.

"Treecko."

Treecko didn't hear her father and continued to study her illuminated dark green tail.

"Treecko!" Sceptile called more forcefully.

It was effective in snapping his daughter out of her trance and caused her power down.

"Huh?"

"I asked you a question."

"You did?" she asked as she swished her tail back around and stood up.

Sceptile's eyes hardened.

"You were not listening to me."

"I was too listening!" she insisted.

Sceptile put his claws behind his back.

"Alright. Then answer the question I posed. What are the top five qualities of being a good leader?"

Treecko bit her lower lip and hesitated before answering.

"Uhhh….Spirit…uh...A sense of humor…Commitment…Intuition…and Power."

Sceptile's eyes hardened.

"You were not listening to me."

"What? No! I was too listening."

Sceptile again closed his eyes.

"The ability to delegate, communication, confidence, honesty, and wisdom.

Treecko shyly looked away.

"Oh…"

"You are not listening to me."

"I'm trying to. It's not my fault! These lectures are just so boring." Treecko exhaled as she sat back down.

Sceptile's eyes flared.

"Boring?!"

"Pa, I know intuition has something to do with being a good leader. And power is important, right? How are we gonna keep the baddies away without power? I mean the only thing I really need to be taught is how to become a better battler."

Sceptile again sighed in annoyance.

"Treecko, what am I going to do with you?"

"We could go down to the watering hole for a training session?" she asked hopefully standing on the tips of her toes.

"There is more to being an effective leader than battling." He said sternly.

Treecko sighed and fell back on the ground.

Sceptile again closed his eyes and rested down the tree limb he held in his claws when giving his lecture.

"How do you expect to be Queen of this forest some day if you do not take my lessons seriously?"

"I'm sorry, Pa. I am not purposefully not paying attention. The lectures just are not reaching me in a way that I can understand. I can't just sit here watching the leaves fall from the trees when there is so much I could be doing."

"We are doing something. And you should not be watching the leaves fall from the trees. You should be listening to me."

Treecko stood up.

"But it's not engaging. It's not any fun! I want to have fun!"

"The safety of many pokémon is dependent upon the competency of the ruler. A leader is responsible for many things. Having 'fun' is a leisure you do not always have the time for. Such is the life of a King and Queen."

"Well, perhaps I do not wish to be Queen."

Sceptile's eyes widened.

"What have you just said, young one?"

Treecko crossed her arms.

"If all being a ruler entails is working, lecturing, and making laws, and meeting with other pokémon to discuss more work and give more lectures and make more laws, then I do not wish to be a Queen. It does not sound like it will be very pleasurable. And it carries too much of a burden. Surely another pokémon would be better suited to take on such onus."

Sceptile approached his offspring.

"Treecko, saying you do not wish to be Queen one day is the same as saying you do not wish to be a part of the family from which you were born. What you say is dishonorable to the progenitors of Sekra."

Treecko uncrossed her arms.

"I am not ashamed of our lineage, Pa. I just do not desire to sit on my hind all day making laws."

"There is more to being a leader than simply making laws."

"But there seems to be little time for anything else. Why do we not train more, Pa? Explore the land, tend to the mythical herbs, interact with other pokémon and grow closer through battle?"

Sceptile again sighed at his youngling's impatience.

"Treecko, being a warrior is important but knowing your history and being skilled in communion and community relations are equally if not more important. Fighting is only necessary when we our kind is threatened."

"But you are an excellent battler. Mother even says you are so great, you once countered the will of a legendary beast and brought the downfall of a great evil that was plaguing this land many moons ago."

Sceptile looked up from his daughter to the falling yellow leaves outside of his den. He watched the foliage twirl and flow down softly to the ground from the wind.

"Yes, I was a headstrong fighter and an exceptional battler."

"See?"

"But I was also very foolhardy and rash." He looked back at his daughter. "You are not defined by your physical prowess, Treecko. Your value and worth lies with what you do with your life on this earth. It is nice to be powerful and strengthen your dexterity. But you must hone all the skills in your being including your mental adroitness. Otherwise you will fail to lead this land to glory."

Treecko bowed her head and looked away.

Sceptile turned around and plucked a Pecha Berry from the tree that intercepted cave.

"When I was your age I listened to my father's teachings."

Treecko rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"I have heard your many tales of the Sire Pa but I do not think it is appropriate to compare me to you as we are not one and the same, Pa."

Sceptile turned back around to face her and approached her holding the Pecha Berry in his right claw.

"See this Pecha Berry, Treecko?"

The Hoenn grass-type starter looked as the pink fruit.

"Yes, Pa?"

"It once started out as a tiny blossom unable to care for itself. But through nurture it has became a luscious sweet fruit. Without pruning and cultivation it would not have lived this long. Only by giving it the tools it needed to survive was it able to grow and flourish."

Sceptile pulled a leaf off of the Pecha Berry.

"The fruit is made up of the sum of parts, which all dates back to the propagation from its parents. Its parent trees are important as they provide the genetic components that were passed down to the seedling. Without the strength of its genealogy, the seedling may not have been able to handle being on its own at all. And yes, some berries are extremely heterozygous and do not inherit the DNA from their parents, but they still need the joining of its parents in order to be."

Sceptile held up the berry.

"Together with the assistance of its parents and the nurture affecting its development, the seedling has grown into a sweet delicious fruit. But, if one of those important elements were wanting, the seedling may not have grown into a sweet plump succulent berry but perhaps a bitter sunken one, or it may have grown adequately but when faced with the hardships of life, it couldn't rise to its potential and rotted into degradation or perhaps…"

Sceptile suddenly crushed the berry in his claws, startling his offspring.

"It would have not lived to see the day at all."

He dropped the deflated berry and its juices dripped from his claws.

"Do you understand what I am trying to get you to comprehend, young one? It was more than the berry's physical components that allowed for it to grow into what it was. It took the union of its parents and the nurture of its environment to mold it into a nectarous drupe. It is not defined by its starch. It's defined by its integrality."

Treecko sighed.

"I understand, Pa."

Sceptile nodded. He walked back beside his father's resting boulder.

"Good. Now onto our next lesson."

Treecko exhaled loudly and slumped to the floor.

Just then, a few pebbles could be heard falling from outside the tree's cave.

"May we enter?" a voice asked.

"You may." Sceptile answered as he walked to the cave's entrance to see who greeted him at the door.

A fox-like creature with silvery white fur and nine cyan-tipped tails entered Sceptile's home along with a pure white wolf-like creature with a sickle-shaped growth on the side of its head.

Sceptile smiled.

"Ninetales. Absol. What a pleasure it is to see you again."

"How very nice it is to see you too, Young King," Ninetales said as she dipped her head.

"To what do I owe this visit?" asked Sceptile.

Absol spoke.

"Shiftry wishes to speak with you. Tension is rising between the Gloom and Skiploom tribes, with the Skiploom having problems with the Gloom's excretion of their foul pungent effluvium which is inducing the young Hoppip to faint and the Skiploom pollen clogging the ducts of the Oddish and Gloom. Jumpluff is soon ready to battle Vilplume to force them to relocate."

Sceptile sighed.

"That Jumpluff is always thinking with her spores. What of Trevenant? What has he said of all this?"

"No beast will listen to Trevenant as he is a newcomer to the forest."

Sceptile shook his head.

"Shiftry has been able to temperate the two clans but your discipline is needed." Said Ninetales.

Sceptile nodded his head.

"I understand. But Lopunny has gone to gather some herbal berries for the Stantler injured from the human hunters who wished to take their antlers as trophies. The herd is still fighting to recover from the last ambush. Who will watch Treecko while I am gone?"

"Watch me?" Treecko got up off the ground and ran to her father's side. "I need no watching, Pa. Why, I can even help with your settlement of the villagers. I can provide the voice of reason. And if all else fails, I can amaze them with my supreme battling moves so much so they will fear fighting any pokémon."

Sceptile's eyes once again hardened as he looked at his offspring.

"Have you learned nothing? We do not instill fear or intimidation in any beast to achieve our objective."

Absol again spoke.

"Perhaps I have a resolution to your young sitting dilemma." He called down from below the cave. "Solie!"

A few rocks could be heard falling from beneath the cave.

Absol looked back at Sceptile.

"Solie was to keep account of events that were to transpire at the meeting but it seems you will have a more imperative use for her given your predicament."

Another pokémon who looked the same as Absol but was half his size entered the den.

"You called for me, Father?"

"The King has need of you."

The adolescent Absol looked at Sceptile.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Solie, I need to resolve an issue with some of the forest pokémon. Do you think you would be able to young-sit Treecko for me while I leave with your parents?"

"Young-sit?!" Treecko shouted. "I am not a hatching, Pa!"

Sceptile ignored his daughter.

"Will you be able to do this for me, Solie?"

She nodded her head.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"What?!" Treecko cried.

"Solie is very good at young-sitting," Absol added, "She has done it many times before with the pups of our pack."

"I will not let you down, my King. Treecko is in good claws."

"I know she is," Sceptile said with a smile. He walked closer to the cave's entrance. "We must hurry. I worry what Skiploom may do if we do not move post-haste."

Sceptile looked back that his daughter.

"Be on your best behavior, Treecko. Do not give Solie any trouble."

Treecko didn't answer and merely eyed her father with crossed arms.

Chuckling to himself, Sceptile hopped down to a boulder below and began his descent.

"Be careful, dear," Ninetales warned as she nuzzled her youngest pup. "We shall return soon."

She turned around and lowered herself to exit.

"You know the rules for migratory pokémon?" Absol asked.

"No admittance under any circumstances. My directive is to supervise the princess until King Sceptile returns."

Absol nodded to his daughter.

"Good girl. We shall see you soon."

"I will not disappoint, Father. You, mother, and King Sceptile have nothing to fear. I will care for Treecko exquisitely, on my honor."

Solie watched her father descend from the cave with a smile. When she turned around, she saw Treecko staring at her angrily with crossed arms.

Solie shook her head.

"I know what you're thinking," she sing-songed as she walked up to her and sat down. "You are not going anywhere, little one."

"You cannot keep me here, Solie."

"The only way to leave this cave is to get by me." She said easily.

"I'll battle you if I have to then. I've been practicing a lot."

Solie smiled smugly.

"I bet you have. But my orders are to keep you here. And that is exactly what I intend to do."

"We'll see about that!" Treecko yelled as she incited her Quick Attack.

Just as she reached the entrance a black feeler wrapped around her leg and pulled her back. She fell to the ground with a _Thud! _as Solie reeled her back to her, the sickle-cell growth on her head glowing a blackish-purple.

"Nice try. But there is no way you can beat me." She said as she released her, the black feeler recoiling and absorbing back into her horn moments later.

Treecko stood to her feet.

"No fair! You used a preemptive attack!"

"I could have used any attack. You would not have made it through that exit." She said as the glow disappeared from the growth on her head.

"Well, then try it!" Treecko yelled as she materialized a glowing green ball of energy between her hands and released it towards Solie.

Solie quickly released a glowing amethyst-colored crescent-like blade from her horn that intercepted the Energy Ball, causing a small dust cloud.

Attempting to seize the moment, Treecko once again used her Quick Attack to try and exit the den. But she was immediately tackled by Solie and rolled back to the center of the cave.

"We can do this all day, Treecko, but it will be a lot easier on you if you just sit still and do what you've been told." Solie said as she dispelled the white streaks that appeared around her when she did her Aerial Ace.

Treecko stood up and turned around with a _Humph!_

"Isn't there some exercise you should be doing right now?"

"I do not want to study. I want to have fun."

"Well, we can still have fun. We just cannot leave the den."

"Yeah, right," Treecko said as she spun back around. "If it is not training or exploring or battling, then it is not fun."

Again, Solie smiled.

"Alright. How about we recite some metrical compositions with musical modulations of our voice?"

"Cantillate long-established ditties and lullabies?" Treecko asked flatly. "How young do you posit me to be?"

"Come on. Crooning is lovely. We can even enact it."

"Simulate pointless jabber? Really?"

"Let me show you." She sat as she got up on all four legs and suddenly crouched down, crawling sneakily towards Treecko.

"If you go out in the forest today, you're in for a big surprise!" she sang exaggeratedly as she bared her teeth. "If you go out in the forest today, you better go in disguise! –"

"Please, stop it!" Treecko yelled as she walked around Solie with an irritated sigh. "Maybe I'll give myself a refresher of the top 5 qualities of an effective ruler again."

Solie watched her walk to the back of the cave. Self-satisfied, she laid down and crossed her paws as she smiled.

She was so good!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Hey Everyone! Okay, I know it's been over a year since I updated this story and I sincerely apologize for that. I'll just say that my personal and family life has been a struggle, but my passion for this story is aflame and I am eager to start writing again. So, hopefully the updates will be coming in more often now. Again I sincerely apologize for the year long wait.

* * *

The Fall City Cruqué Studio was a massive commercial building. It had multiple levels and hundreds of rooms sequenced in the twenty storey building. Just maneuvering around the structure proved to be an incredible challenge and it was so easy to get lost.

"Solana?"

Solana jumped when she felt a hand lightly touch her shoulder.

Lunick quickly drew his hand back when he realized he startled her.

"Hey, it's okay. It's me, Babe."

Solana exhaled softly.

"Oh. Lunick. I'm sorry," Solana nervously chuckled.

Lunick scrunched up his face in uncertainty.

"Solana, are you sure you want to do this?"

"What do you mean? Of course I do. It's for a good cause remember?"

"But you're so jumpy."

"It's nothing, really. I'm fine. Besides, we already put our papers in for Spenser."

"We can always go back."

"Lunick, I'm fine. Really. You have nothing to be worried about."

"…If you say so, Solana. Just let me know if it becomes too much for you."

"I will."

"Hey guys!" they heard someone call.

Solana and Lunick stopped in front of an open doorway. They glanced inside and could see Freddie and Leilani waiting for them.

"You made it!" Leilani exclaimed as she greeted them at the door.

"Yeah. It took us a while to find the place. I don't think I've ever been to the Cruqué Studio before." Solana answered.

"I know. The place is huge, ain't it?"

"Very," said Lunick. "It's even bigger than the BASD building in Fall City."

Leilani squealed once again. "Eeeee! I can't wait! We are so gonna rock this! Right Solana?"

Solana stammered, "Huh? O-Oh. Right. We totally got this in the bag."

Just then, Victorian Starsi sauntered into the room. A young woman with long sea green hair pulled into a high ponytail and a middle aged man with off-black hair lined with silver walked on either side of her.

"Ah, you made it lovelies. I'm so happy you decided to come," she said with a smile.

"Of course," said Leilani, "Pokémon Rangers are always ready to help those in need of our services."

Victorian's smile widened. "Lovely. Well, we have much work to do, so get set up with wardrobe then meet Gisela and Raúl on set. Hurry lovelies. We've got to make the most of our time together. We have another project in 3 hours."

Victorian started out of the room.

The young woman extended her hand to Solana.

"Hello there. I am Gisela. And this is Raúl."

"It is an honor to be working with Fiore's finest."

"The honor is all ours," said Lunick.

Gisela took the strap of her camera from around her neck.

"In the far left-hand corner of the adjoined room is the dress room. For the first shoot you'll have to wear the swimsuits we've provided. They're all designer so please be careful. The makeup artists are already in there to help you. When you are finished, meet us on set and we will explain the rest to you."

"Yes, Ma'am," replied Leilani.

Nodding her head, Gisela and Raúl made their way out of the room.

Leilani couldn't contain her squeals any longer.

"EEEEEEE! I can't believe this is actually happening! We're actually gonna be for real models! Ooooo, I'm so excited!"

Freddie chuckled. "Like a dream come true, Leilani?" He asked as they made their way over to the dressing room.

"Totally! This is fantastic!"

Solana watched them go. She bit down on her lower lip when she felt a hand lightly touch her right shoulder.

"It's not too late to back out, 'Lana. Leilani will understand."

Solana shook her head.

"Don't be silly. Of course I'm going through with it. It's like you and Leil said, Pokémon Rangers are always there to help those in need."

'This isn't exactly a need. More of a favor."

"Nevertheless, if it's to have a positive impact on Fiore, it's worth doing. I'll be fine."

Lunick still wore a look of concern but he trusted that Solana was more in tune with her emotions than he was. He wrapped his right arm around her shoulders and together they joined Freddie and Leilani in the dressing room.

* * *

Solana looked at herself critically in the mirror. The girls were separated from the guys in the dressing area so Solana hadn't seen Lunick since they changed their wardrobe. Even though Victorian Starsi told them this was a glorious opportunity, they weren't the sole models on the shoot. There were at least five more professional models of both sexes representing her. Most of them were in their mid to late 20s and Solana could tell they had been in the business since a very early age. As if modeling for an actual advertisement wasn't intimidating enough, and in a swimsuit to boot, Solana had the added pressure of standing out just as much as the professional models.

Solana groaned as she looked herself over. She once again found herself in a bikini and it just made her skin crawl. She was in an allover print pink, lilac and blue fringed bikini. It had a halter cut, halter tie closure, and a back sliding hook closure. Truth be told, it looked more like lingerie than swimwear and showed off a lot more of Solana's body than she felt comfortable.

"Girl, you look so hot."

Solana turned around. Leilani was wearing a yellow and green printed flounce halter top bikini. It was fully lined and had a halter neck and self-tie.

"I feel like I'm in my bra and panties. Why are these suits so skimpy?"

"They're designer, Sole. These are the suits all the celebs will be wearing. You know those women gotta show off their curves and skin for the tabloids."

"Evenso, it just feels so wrong. I feel so exposed."

Leilani put her hand on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"Remember what I told you earlier? Don't feel so insecure. You look amazing."

Solana smiled weakly. "Thanks, Leil."

"Don't mention it, girl. We're so gonna rock this!"

"Hey ladies," they heard a voice called.

They turned to see both Lunick and Freddie approaching. They were both wearing swim briefs that had low-rise captain square cuts. Lunick's was red and white and Freddie's was blue and black.

"Woof woof!" Leilani cried. "Oooo, you fellas looking so sexy."

Freddie chuckled. "Thanks, Leilani. You two looking mighty fly yourselves."

"I know," Leilani said as she twirled around.

Lunick exhaled nervously. He covered himself with his hands.

"Oh man. Why did they have to be swim briefs? It's not like we're racing competitively or anything."

"Oh you're just upset they gave you that color."

"You think? White isn't exactly discreet. Not to mention the C-Ring is making me more aware of my body than I'd like to be. The boys don't like being restricted."

"Oh quit your boohooin' and moaning, Lun. The boys are just fine."

Leilani put her hand to mouth as she giggled hysterically while Solana blushed slightly.

Lunick growled at Freddie's remark but he immediately straightened up when he saw Solana.

"Whoa, Babe. Y-You look incredible."

Solana smiled weakly. "Thank you. Lunick."

Lunick smiled a goofy grin.

"You think they'd let you keep that suit?"

Solana placed her hands on her hips. "As if. You got any idea how much these things cost? Besides, you don't need any more stimulation. You get enough of that at home."

"Touché, Sole," Freddie snickered. "Whoa. You were right. White isn't very discreet at all, Lunick."

Lunick gasped and quickly tied a towel around his waist.

"Shut up! Don't look at me!" he cried frantically.

Freddie held his sides as he continued to laugh uncontrollably, followed by Leilani, causing Solana and Lunick both to blush even more deeply.

"Alright models," called Gisela as she and Raúl walked into the room, "Front and center. I hope you all are ready because we are about to start."

The four rangers approached the creative director and photographer.

Raúl held up a small tube in his hands.

"Altaria's White Mist. A lotion-based product that protects the skin from damage from ultraviolent long-wave and shortwave radiation."

"Sunscreen." Lunick said plainly.

Raúl nodded.

"Exactly. UVB is the chief culprit behind sunburn while UVA rays, which penetrate the skin more deeply, are associated with wrinkling, leathering, sagging, and other light-induced effects of aging. They also exacerbate the carcinogenic effects of UVB rays and increasingly are being seen as a cause of skin cancer on their own."

Gisela began. "In recent years, tanning has become a serious problem in this world. More and more, people are exposing themselves to these harsh ultraviolent waves as a means of beautifying themselves and promoting attractiveness. Tanning booths themselves emit up to 15 times more UV radiation than the sun. 90% of melanomas are estimated to be caused by ultraviolent exposure. The tanning industry has brainwashed people into thinking that exposing themselves to these dangerous levels of radiation will help them achieve some promotion of attractiveness and even increase Vitamin D intake when in reality that couldn't be further from the truth."

Raúl continued. "Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old and the second most common form of cancer for young people 15-29 years old. Too many young people are subjecting themselves to these ultraviolent rays and it's time they not only become aware of the nasty truth behind tanning, but that any extended exposure to UV, whether it is from the sun or tanning booths is detrimental to their health. Insert Altaria's White Mist."

He held up the tube again.

"Victorian has partnered with Barrier Inc. and _Go With Your Own Glow_ to create this product – Altaria's White Mist. It is a new uniquely formulated sunscreen lotion that combines several carefully blended ingredients to help prevent the sun's UV rays from reaching the skin and causing any damage. Sunscreens vary in their ability to protect against UVA and UVB. What makes AWM different from other sunscreens is its Sun Protection Factor. Most sunscreens with SPFs of 15 or higher are excellent for protecting against UVB. SPF 15 filters out approximately 93 percent of all incoming UVB rays. SPF 30 keeps out 97 percent and SPF 50 keeps out 98 percent. They may seem like negligible differences, but if you are light-sensitive or have a history of skin cancer, those extra percentages will make a difference. Altaria's White Mist has an SPF of 76, which quite frankly is astounding."

Gisela finished for him.

"This is a cause that is really near and dear to Victorian's heart. The _Go With Your Own Glow_ campaign was developed to encourage women to love and protect their skin, whatever its natural hue. The campaign focuses on fashion and beauty trends to show that tanning is neither fashionable nor flattering and is obsolete as a , glowing, healthy skin is the look that makes everyone look their best. When you tan, indoors or out, you increase signs of aging as well as your risk of developing melanoma. Once people stop associating tanned skin with beauty we will really make headway against our fight against skin cancer."

Raúl clasped his hands together.

"So, if you models are ready, please follow me and Gisela to the set and we'll get this started already."

"This is gonna be so awesome!" Leilani cried as she, Freddie, and the other professional models followed behind them.

Solana and Lunick still stood behind.

"Babe, are you sure you're ready for this?" Lunick asked, his eyes full of concern.

"Yes," Solana answered without looking back at him.

Lunick took her hand in his and squeezed it lightly. Then together, they and their pokémon followed the others onto set.

* * *

"Okay guys. Just act natural," Gisela said as she picked up her camera. "Just have fun. Behave like you're at a party or on the beach or something."

Lunick and Freddie were laughing hard as Lunick took a pool noodle and wrung it playfully around Freddie's neck.

"Great boys. Great," Gisela said between shots. Raúl was in the back looking through the digital shots as they appeared on the monitor.

Solana drummed her fingers against her chin as she and Leilani watched from the side. She felt as if her stomach was tying itself in knots.

"Beautiful, boys. Stay in the light. Get your pokémon engaged as well."

Minun and Weavile appeared behind their rangers, seemingly glaring at each other for their human's behavior. Minun alternated from the ground to Lunick's shoulder and Weavile from between Freddie's legs and taking a battle-ready stance, both with expressions varying from extreme concern to outright anger.

Lunick then slammed Freddie playfully into the sand-covered set, pretending to be wrestling with him.

"Remember where the camera is. You want to show the gleam of the light on the sunscreen." Gisela warned.

She stopped taking pictures. "Alright. Girls, on the set. Let's go. Boys take a break and go put on more AWM."

Solana and Leilani started for the set as Lunick and Freddie picked themselves off of the ground.

"You guys were great," Leilani praised.

"Yeah right. I think Lunick was trying to snap my neck." Freddie complained as he dusted off the sand from his legs.

"Please, Fred. You heard the lady? Act like we were at a party. You know we'd be roughhousing and all that if'n we were."

"Yeah, uh huh. Act, Lunick. Act!"

"Boys, clear the set. We're on a tight schedule." Raúl ordered.

Freddie rolled his neck.

"Good luck, girls."

"Thanks," said Leilani.

Lunick gave Solana a kiss on the check before walking off. "Everything's going to be fine. Okay?"

Solana nodded.

"You're gonna do great."

As Lunick walked off-set Solana felt herself getting increasingly nervous. The other female models joined them on-set.

"Okay girls," Gisela started. "Leilani, Solana. As with you colleagues, you are going to be the focus of this shoot. We're gonna get a couple of you girls just chillin' and having fun before we bring you all back together for a group shot. Okay?"

Solana meekly nodded while Leilani nodded excitedly.

"Alright," Gisela picked up her camera, "Let me see some movement ladies. You're on the beach. You're playing volleyball. You're chillin' on the lounge chairs, soaking in the sun and you've got your AWM sunscreen lotion with you."

"Can we dance?" Leilani asked with a raised hand.

"Go for it. But nothing provocative."

"Sweet!"

Leilani instantly started moving and grooving on her own while the other models engaged with each other, throwing beach balls, laying on the lounge chairs, and playing in the sand.

Solana stood their awkwardly.

"Miss Solana. Do something," Gisela commanded in between shots.

Solana stammered. "I-I…I don't know what to do."

"Do something. Anything. Imagine you're on the beach with your friend here. Get active."

"Come on, Sole. It's easy," Leilani tried to encourage. She took her friend's hand and tried to encourage her to follow her movements.

Solana tried her best to move like Leilani but she just felt completely awkward.

"Mind your angels. Watch your angels. The camera is this way," Gisela scolded.

Solana felt her heart pounding. She stopped trying to dance like Leilani and instead took up one of the beach balls and tried to pose with it.

"Stop posing," said Gisela, "Natural movement. You don't just strike a pose with a beach ball. You throw it. Just throw it."

Gulping, Solana threw the beach ball up in the air.

"Stop!" Gisela nearly screamed. "When I said just throw it, I did not mean just throw it any ole way. Come on, Solana. Follow my directions. Hit your mark. We're telling a story. What are you trying to say in these photos?"

Lunick winced as he and Freddie watched from the side. Solana was getting in her own head and he knew if she didn't get out soon she was going to be berating herself the rest of the day.

Gisela exhaled a frustrated sigh.

"Okay. Okay. Let's try something else, alright? Go lay down on one of the lounge chairs, Solana. You too Leilani. Pretend you're unwinding on the beach."

Solana felt herself start to shake. She felt Leilani gently put her arm around her and guide her to the longue chairs.

"It's okay, girl. You're doing fine. Deep breaths."

They both lied down on the longue chairs as Gisela once again started taking pictures.

"You're too stiff! Relax. You're lounging on the beach."

Solana once again felt herself starting to pose. She tried to calm down as she lied across the chair.

"Relax, Solana. You're thinking too much. The tension is showing all over your body. Stop posing. Stay in the light and tell your story."

Solana's throat started to burn. She tried her best to fight back the tears that demanded to be released from her eyes from the pressure.

"No, no, no, no no." Gisela said as she lowered her camera. "Okay, this isn't working."

She motioned over to the male models.

"Boys, come back on set. We're just going to move on to the group shots."

Freddie, Lunick and the remaining 5 male models joined the girls on set.

Lunick and Freddie approached Solana and Leilani.

Lunick extended his hands to Solana.

"Babe, are you okay?"

Solana nodded frantically as she took his hands and stood up. Lunick could tell from her jerky movements that she was having a lot of anxiety.

"Deep breaths, Baby. Deep breaths," he coached, "Relax. I'm right here."

Gisela sighed again.

"Okay, rangers. Front and center, please.

All four of them walked to the center of the set to hear Gisela's instruction.

Victorian walked into the room. She approached Raúl by the creative consultant's desk.

"How is everything going? Is all well?"

"More-or-less," Raúl sighed. "I honestly expected a lot more from Fiore's heroine. But a hero does not a model make."

"Are the shots useable?"

"For the most part. I've already selected the best shots. It's not going to get much better, I don't think."

"Let me see what you've chosen."

Raúl glided to the left so Starsi could look at the monitor.

"The single ones aren't so bad. But why this group shot?"

"It's the one where they all look most natural and the product is clearly shining on their skins and visible on the table for identification."

"Here," Victorian pointed to the monitor, "Do something about that. Fix it."

"Whatever you say."

"Yes." Nodding, Victorian looked up at the rangers modeling once more before departing out of the room.

Gisela once again raised her camera.

"Okay guys. Get in close together. I want to see the glare of the light reflect off your body from the AWM sunscreen. You're buddies, enjoying each other's company. Camaraderie."

Freddie and Lunick stood on either side of Leilani and Solana respectively. The all wrapped their arms around each other and smiled.

"Good," Gisela said between shots, "You all are couples, correct?"

"Well, actually, Solana and Lunick are a couple, but not me and Freddie," said Leilani.

"Well here you are," Gisela replied, "Boys get in close to the girls. Hug 'em. Show the camera that you care about them.

Lunick wrapped his arm around Solana's waist and stood behind her. He gave her belly a light squeeze and lowered his lips to her left ear.

"You doing okay, Babe?"

Solana barely nodded.

Freddie wrapped his arms around Leilani's shoulders as she brought her arms up behind her and lightly grasped the back of his head.

"Good," Gisela praised. "Boys don't haunch over. We want to show off the AWM on your skin. You're wearing less for a reason. You can still caress them, just remember to not to hide yourselves behind the ladies. Be bold with it. Confident."

Both Lunick and Freddie side-stepped beside their respective female partner to make sure they weren't hidden. Plusle, Minun, Weavile, and Lucario were also sitting proudly beside their rangers.

"There you go. Good," she lowered her camera, "Go lay down in the lounge chairs. One chair per couple."

All four of them walked over to the lounge chairs and lied across them. Lunick lied down behind Solana and wrapped one arm around her waist and rested his chin on his fist with the other. Freddie reclined back on the lounge chair and Leilani sat down in his lap, also lying down.

"Fantastic! Très bien! Now boys I want to get some shots of you applying the sunscreen. Pick the tubes off of the table and massage them into the girls' skin."

Getting up from the chairs, both Lunick and Freddie picked up a tube of AWM sunscreen and squirted it on their hands. They walked back over to Solana and Leilani and gently began rubbing it in. Freddie rubbed it into Leilani bare back while Lunick rubbed it into Solana's arms and legs.

Solana felt herself getting hot. A warm tingly feeling filled her stomach as she felt as rush flow throughout her whole body from her center. Lunick's touch was gentle yet sensual and galvanizing. She felt herself craving for more of his touch.

Her eyes locked with his as his face was mere inches from hers.

"That's it!" Gisela cried. She lowered her camera and wore a big smile. "We've got our shots. We're done. Great job models. You were superb."

She looked to the four rangers. "You all did well. We've got to start our next project so that'll be it for today. Victorian will contact you if we need anything else. You may go to wardrobe and get cleaned up and then you are free to go. Thank you very much for your help today."

Gisela looked back at the other models.

"You ten change costume. We're moving on to Go &amp; Grow. Chop-chop. Let's go."

The other models left the set. But Solana and Lunick stayed transfixed. It was as if everything around them didn't matter.

"Hey, you guys alright?"

They both blinked several times at the sound of Leilani's voice and looked up to see her and Freddie standing above them.

"I think they're in a world of their own, Leilani," Freddie chuckled.

Solana blinked several more times before trying to sit up. Lunick climbed off of her and slid to the side of the chair.

"Yeah, we're fine," Solana finally answered as she held her forehead. Her mind was racing as she tried to dispel the erotic fantasies in her head.

"I know it was a bit of a rough start for you, Sole, but I think you turned it around in the end," Leilani encouraged, "Especially since you had Lunick here to entice you."

Solana blushed faintly. She glanced over at Lunick. He was always quite slim and probably always will be, but over the last few years his chest had filled out nicely. Him actually starting a workout regimen along with her when they were sixteen helped as well. She admired his near-adult form, her thoughts drifting as she imagined running her hands over his wiry chest, tracing the lines in his abdomen as she traveled down toward his naval. Years of conditioning told her to be ashamed of such thinking, but she wouldn't let herself be. She was nearly an adult now and she was with a guy she could not imagine being ever without. It was like her soul was set free the day Lunick finally told her how he truly felt about her.

"Well, this was fun," Freddie said, "I kinda wish we could just take the rest of the day off but I gotta get back to Wintown. I know Leader has an assignment already lined up for me."

"Right," Leilani agreed. "I nearly completely forgot about work. It's such a shame. I could get used to this kind of lifestyle."

She looked back at Solana. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sole. Call me tonight if you need to talk, okay honey?"

Solana nodded.

Smiling, Freddie and Leilani turned to go to the dressing room area with their pokémon.

Clearing his throat, Lunick looked nervously up at Solana.

"So, uh…How're you feeling? You okay?"

Solana again nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. No worries." Solana could still feel her heart racing.

"Do you need to take the rest of the day off?"

"Don't be silly. We've got a job to do, remember? We only took off a few hours. Spenser's expecting us back."

"I guess so."

Solana stood up. She turned around to face Lunick, then her eyes stretched wide and she quickly turned away.

Lunick grew concerned.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?"

Solana covered her face.

"Nothing is wrong, honey…Um, I just…uh…Y-You may want to go get changed."

Lunick scrunched up his face in confusion. Solana didn't turn to face him and merely pointed down.

Lunick followed her motion and his eyes got as big as saucers.

"Oh God, not again!"

He quickly snatch the beach towel off from behind the lounge char and covered himself as he sprinted into the male's dressing room. Minun followed closely behind him.

Solana uncovered her eyes and stared in the direction Lunick was running. She blushed ever so slightly as a small smile spread across her lips.

At least she wasn't the only one getting aroused from the close skin-to skin contact.

* * *

Lunick continued to watch Solana as they walked down East Road. Solana had not been saying much of anything since they got back from the photo shoot. They completed four missions together and not once did she utter anything other than a command when necessary when they were on a mission. Lunick could tell she just wasn't herself and he was concerned about her state of mind since then.

"Solana?" he called.

"Hm?" she looked up from the ground.

"You're awfully quiet. Is something wrong, Babe?"

Solana looked back down at the ground.

"No, nothing is wrong."

"Solana, I know you. You don't stay mute like this for so long unless something is on your mind. But you're usually comfortable enough to talk to me about it."

Solana was silent as they continued to walk.

Lunick grew more concerned.

"Look, if this has anything to do with what happened back at the studio, please don't be mad. I don't always have full control of my body and it does betray me at times."

Solana stopped walking.

"What are you talking about? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I didn't offend you?" He asked coyly as he stopped walking as well.

"How could you possibly offend me?"

Lunick's frown deepened.

Solana then understood what he meant without saying it and quickly corrected him.

"Oooh…No, Lunick. I'm not mad at you. Your body just responds to stimulus. It's a natural response. You can't help it…And truth be told, you weren't alone in that regard."

That surprised him."Really?"

She nodded. "I mean, you may not be able to see it as visibly as yours because, you know, you're a guy, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at the very least starting to feel something myself."

Lunick lifted his head slightly.

"So, what exactly were you starting to feel?"

"Do you really need me to go into detail? You can't paint a picture?"

Lunick really wanted to ask her more but he knew he had to get to the bottom of what she was feeling at that present moment. But he made a mental note to ask her about that again later.

"Well, that's a relief to hear. I'm glad you're not upset about that. But then, if that wasn't it, then what's buggin' you? What has you so quiet?"

Solana lowered her eyes.

"Was it the photo shoot?"

Solana barely nodded.

Lunick sighed. "Look Solana."

"They weren't happy with me, Lunick."

"What do you mean?"

"Gisela wasn't pleased with my performance. She kept telling me all that I was doing wrong. And he may not have said anything but I could tell Mr. Raúl wasn't pleased with me as well, simply from the way he was staring at the screenshots on the monitor and shaking his head. I did a terrible job."

"Hey," he interrupted, "Stop thinking like that. You did a great job. Gisela was yelling at everybody. She's trying to get the perfect shot and has to work with a bunch of people. She yelled at me and Freddie too?"

"Yeah but she didn't tell you to stop what you were doing and try something else."

Solana covered her face. "I don't know how I could do so badly. You were right. I should not have gone through with it."

"Hey," Lunick walked in front of her and took her hands in his, stopping them from covering her beautiful crimson eyes, "What's done is done, Solana. You did your best. And from the praise we got afterwards I think it's safe to say you did a badical job."

Solana looked at him sorrowfully.

Lunick smiled.

"How about you and I go to Trainer Dee's and get ourselves a couple of corndogs and nachos? It'll make you feel better?"

Solana chuckled lightly at that.

"Thanks, but no thanks, Lunick. I don't really want fried food right now."

"Would you prefer a home-cooked meal?"

Solana smiled. "Would you mind?"

"Not at all. I lives to please my bon-diggity lady."

"Hm," Solana wrapped her arms around Lunick's neck, "Well, your lady might be up for some bon-diggity pleasing of her own."

"Is that so?"

"Mhmm," Solana cooed as she raised her head and gave her boyfriend a warm kiss.

"Do I get to play the field?" Lunick asked, waggling his eyebrows goofily.

Solana gave him a smug look.

"Hold on, Mister. I don't think you're ready for the big leagues yet. Maybe you should try the batting cages first."

"But how can I test my skills if I never play on the field?"

"Maybe Little League."

"I'm not a child."

"I beg to differ," she said cutely, "But maybe in practice you'll get to steal second before the umpire calls you out."

"Booyah," he whispered as he brought her in for another kiss.

Minun rolled his eyes, earning a rough shove and scornful look from Plusle.

"Hey, Lunick? A voice called.

Lunick broke the kiss at the sound of his name. He looked behind Solana and he and her both saw Lind standing a few feet away.

"This young lady is looking for you. She says she has to see you right away. She demanded I come and find you."

Lunick looked beside Lind. A young girl was standing timidly to his right.

Solana exhaled heavily at the sight of Iyori. She took her hands from around Lunick's neck and put her hands on her hips.

Lunick glanced at Solana then glanced back at Lind and Iyori.

Tearfully, Iyori sprinted towards Lunick and collapsed in his arms, crying hysterically.

Lunick looked back up at Lind.

"She won't take no for an answer." He replied.

Cringing and pursing his lips, Lunick looked back behind him. He saw Solana walking ahead of him down East Road, Plusle trailing behind her.

Lunick looked back at Lind, who just gave him an apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry, man. I tried. She needs you."

Lunick sighed quietly and he uncomfortably began stroking Iyori's hair, trying to console her.

* * *

Bill scribbled feverishly into his spiral notebook. It was the wee hours of the morning and he was still fast at work at his next project. His brown hair veered off in all directions as beads of sweat trickled down the sides of his face. When he was focused on a project no one could pull him away until he was finished. That was the way of life a PokéManiac Pokémon Researcher and genius.

Bill finally set down his pencil. His pokémon could swear she could see smoke rising from the nubby tip of the pencil on the table.

"Clefable darling. I think this is it! Time for the moment of truth."

He quickly jumped out of his swivel chair and walked over to the large gene splicing machine in his office. He typed a code into the electric keypad beside the machine before putting a red, green and blue vial in three test tube holders.

"Manually activating transformative properties and synchronizing abilities. Rebirth operation in progress."

Many lights came to life and the machine vibrated dramatically as it emitted several loud beeping cries. The vials were quickly emptied and deposited through channels in the machine. The lights flashed erratically and it nearly looked like the machine would blow to kingdom come. But after a few more seconds the machine died down and the lights blinked off as the generator shut down.

Bill pulled a lever and two doors slid opened on the machine. A thick haze pooled out of the pods. After the opalescent air dissipated, two figures could be scene within the pods – an Alakazam and a Jolteon.

Bill held his breath.

The Jolteon stepped out. Its eyes glowed blue as it released several multicolored psychic undulations, the blast creating a hole in the side wall and causing Bill to duck so not to be struck by the blast.

"Synchronoise?" Bill pondered as he slowly stood to his feet.

The Alakazam stepped out. It crossed the two silver spoons it held in its claws and electrical sparks appeared around them. The spoons glowed yellow as a lighter colored yellow orb of energy expanded in front of them and it fired a massive blast of electricity in the opposite direction of where the Jolteon had fired its attack, creating a second hole in Bill's house.

"Charge Beam?" he cried. Bill suddenly wore a large grin. "Aha! It worked! The experiment was a success! I can't believe it!"

Bill rushed over to his notebook and began fervently recording the results.

"This has got to be the first experiment I've done that didn't result in an explosion or my being merged with a pokémon!" he cried excitedly. "What a major breakthrough! With this process, Pokémon are now able to relearn moves they'd forgotten long ago by their ancestors. This brings a whole new set of possibilities for pokémon breeding, pokémon training, genealogy, and the Pokéology science as a whole! Pokémon can now tap into the very mechanism that makes Mother Mew so elusive. They'll be able to learn moves previously only available to other species! Why this can even affect pokémon interactions and utility! No more needing only water pokémon to put out fires! No more draining electric pokémon for power. Type disadvantages are a thing of the past. New strategies will have to be formed for pokémon battling. This discovery will change the whole Pokémon-Human relationship forever!"

Bill threw his pencil down.

"HAHA! I can't believe it! What an astounding development! Bill you Pokégenius, you. You've done it again! I cannot wait to reveal my findings to the Pokémon Fan Club. I must contact Professor Oak at once and tell him about this discovery. He'd want a full report."

Bill then walked over to his desktop computer and immediately began writing a letter to Kanto's esteemed Pokémon Professor.

Clefable's ear twitched. Her ears perked up in alarm and she began to scan the room.

"Clefable?" she wondered.

Just then, a Smoke Ball broke through one of the windows and immediately the quaint house was filled with black smoke.

"Clefable!"

"Huh? What's going on?" Bill shrieked as he quickly stood to his feet.

Several more Smoke Balls dropped into the house, clouding it in thick black fog.

Bill started coughing.

Suddenly, Bill felt an intense pain shoot up his neck to the back of his head. He cried out before limply falling to the ground.

"Clefable!"

Clefable formed a large orb of pink energy between her paws before she fired it to try to strike down her human's attacker.

The attack was quickly deflected and sent spiraling back towards Clefable. She jumped to the side to dodge.

The Alakazam too tried to save his trainer by releasing the Charge Beam he had just learned and Jolteon did the same with her Synchronoise.

The shadowy figure quickly put up a dark blue shield, effectively protecting themselves from the attack. They then grabbed Bill's limp body and fired a grappling hook to the ceiling. Jumping up, they swung themselves and Bill out of the house through one of the openings his Pokémon had made in the wall earlier.

"Clefable!"

"Alakazam!"

"JoJo!"

All three Pokémon raced outside. But by the time they reached the intruder seemed to disappear. Their friend and master was nowhere to be seen.

"Alaka?"

"Jo? JoJo?"

"Fable…Clefable…" His beloved Pokémon cried.


	7. Chapter 7

"Iyori, please try to understand," Lunick began. "There's only so much I can do in a professional setting."

"You said you would protect me. You promised!"

Lunick sighed heavily. After Lind had tracked him down to tell him that Iyori would not listen to reason, he had spent the remainder of the evening in the Ringtown Ranger Base trying to get her to understand that she couldn't just follow him around everywhere and had to accept help from the other rangers. But Iyori was persistent. She was fixed in her ways and convinced that Lunick was the only one in the world who she could trust to keep her safe.

"Yes, Iyori, I did promise to keep you safe. But I didn't say I was the only one who could do that. We have a team here whose livelihood is to keep civilians like you safe from harm. I'm not the only ranger here who can help you."

"But you saved me?"

"Correct. But you're actually limiting your support system by restricting yourself only to me. There's so much more available to you."

"You said you would protect me. You saved me. Only Lunick-san can keep me safe. Nobody else can protect me the way you do."

Lunick pinched the spot on his nose between his eyes.

The doors to the base's elevator slid open and Solana stepped outside. She walked into the kitchenette and took a bottle of water out of the refrigerator.

"Any luck, honey?"

"Nope." Lunick sighed.

Solana walked over to him and gently rubbed him on his back.

Iyori shook her head.

"I do not understand why you won't help me."

"I'm not saying that I don't want to help you, Iyori. You're just not taking the kind of help that is offered to you."

"You said you would keep me safe."

"I did," Lunick lowered his hand and reopened his eyes, "And I meant it. But I wasn't implying that I would be the only one helping you."

"I do not understand."

Again Lunick sighed.

"Iyori, my boss sat down with you yesterday and laid out for you all the resources readily available to you. You declined to accept help from relief services. You refused to stay in the temporary housing provided by the Tri-Region Coalition. You won't even talk to the Safeguard Brigade, who specializes in helping survivors of natural disasters and tragedies or any of the counselors we've provided for you. You are kinda tying our hands with how much we can help you."

Iyori frowned. "All those people want to know my personal business. If they truly want to help me, why do they require to know so much about my private life?"

"It's their job, Iyori. They have to assess how dire your situation is. Our word alone won't be enough to give you the security you need."

Iyori crossed her arms.

'Too much scrutiny. I do not trust them. You are all I need. You've proven that. You protect me. You saved me."

Lunick groaned as he let his head fall on the table.

Solana hated to see Lunick so stressed. But she wasn't sure what else she could do to help. Lunick was Iyori's hero and savior and no amount of talking was going to convince her that anyone else could care for her like Lunick.

"Solana. Lunick. Come here. please," Spenser called from the lobby.

"Yes, Leader," they both answered simultaneously.

Solana and Plusle started for the other room as Lunick stood up.

"I gotta see want my Leader wants. Stay here, Iyori," Lunick said as he and Minun went to join Solana.

Despite Lunick's order, Iyori got up from the table and followed behind him.

Murph was sitting down at one of the desks doing some paperwork.

Spenser stood up from his desk.

"We've got a report of an unusual sighting and disturbance in the Panula Cave. An unidentified Pokémon has been spotted intimidating the cave's pokémon. I need you both to go and investigate."

"No!" Iyori screamed. She grabbed onto Lunick's right arm and held it tightly. "You cannot leave me here! That man would surely find me!"

Lunick and Solana both cringed.

"Uh…Iyori, I have to go. This is my job."

"But you can get hurt! You would be putting yourself in danger. And you would be putting me in danger!"

"Iyori, I understand you're scared – "

"Please! Do not leave me!"

Solana rested her hand on Lunick's left shoulder.

"It's okay, Lunick. I can tackle this mission on my own."

"I'd rather you not do that, Solana," Spenser interjected. "The Panula Cave is very unstable, as you already know. I'm not going to put any of you in any more danger than I've already had in the past. We've already had one serious accident too many."

"Leader, that was three years ago. I'm not nearly as hard-nosed or headstrong as I was back then."

"Still, there is no ignoring the danger in traversing the Panula Cave. I am not sending you in alone, Solana. If need be, I'll call in another team to do the mission."

"But I can do this, Leader."

Lunick spun around. "Iyori, you're hindering me from doing my job. I have a responsibility to Fiore to protect the inhabitants of this region and make sure it's safe."

"Wait a minute," Solana turned around, "Murph, why don't you come along with me?"

Murph's pencil snapped.

"Huh?" he cried nervously.

"Yeah. That way Leader wouldn't have to worry about me going alone and we can survey the area and check on the Panula Cave pokémon." She turned back around to face Spenser. "What do you say, Leader?"

Spenser looked past Solana and at Murph. He looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Murph, do you feel up to that? I know you've not had much experience in the field. Quite frankly, the few times I've sent you out you were terribly spooked."

Murph bit his lower lip and stood up.

"I mean…I…it is a little intimidating. I would like to do something more than changing light bulbs and checking inventory…but…I-I don't know if I'm good enough. I don't want to hold you back, Solana."

"Nonsense. We're teammates, Murph. Tell you what, I'll work environmental control and make sure nothing scares you too badly. That way, you only need to focus on keeping me company." She turned around to face Spenser. "What if we used our super suits? I know the Union is still working on upgrading them but they've already passed the preliminary experimental stage?"

Spenser crossed his arms. "That's true but there are still a few bugs to work out. It's true they're not as dangerous as they were when you first started to use them but they still carry risks. Are you sure you feel they're necessary for this mission?"

"Well, I mean, I know it's just standard recon but you never know what we'll face out there. It's always best to be safe and since the super suits are armor-oriented, I figured it couldn't hurt to have them with us, especially to give Murph some extra security."

Spenser nodded. "Alright, Solana. You and Murph have permission to use the super suits. But you are only to activate them as necessary."

"Understood, Leader."

Murph was worried. "But I don't want to give you all the work, Solana?"

"You won't be. Trust me, Murph. I'll make sure we come back to the base safe and sound."

Murph pondered on what she said for a few seconds before answering.

"Alright. It has been a while since we went on a mission together. And truth be told, I'd really like to get out of this base more often."

"Great," Solana turned back around to face Spenser, "Does this mean we're cleared to go, Leader?"

Spenser unfolded his arms and walked back around his desk.

"If you feel confident, Murph, you and Solana can go investigate the Panula Cave. But you two please don't do anything reckless. As you said Solana, you are a team. No need to go rushing into anything without thought. You must consider each other's wellbeing."

"Of course," Solana replied. She walked over to Lunick and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Hopefully, I won't be gone long. Your house when I get back?"

"Sure," Lunick said dejectedly.

Solana cupped his face, then gave him another kiss on the forehead. She grabbed her pack from one of the tables and then started for the base's entrance.

"Come on, Murph. Let's see what's going on."

Murph turned to his Area Leader. "My paperwork?"

"You can finish it when you return. If it's too late, first thing tomorrow morning after briefing."

"Yes, Sir." Murph walked over to the table he was working on and grabbed his pack. "See you later, Lunick."

Lunick pressed his lips firmly together and nodded.

Turning back around, Murph went into the storage room to grab his super suit, then exited out the base's double doors with his Slowking to meet up with Solana.

Iyori tugged on Lunick's arm and placed her head on his right shoulder.

Lunick glanced down at her for a moment, then looked at the sun necklace that hung around his neck before giving an exasperated sigh.

* * *

The ice-encrusted cave was home to many ice-type and cavern-dwelling pokémon. But the frozen grotto was strangely quiet when Solana and Murph entered. They barely saw any pokémon while they scoured the arctic subterrane, only hearing a few scurrying pitter-patters and some icicles falling from the ceiling and hitting the cave's floor. It had been years since the Panula Cave was in such a state.

"I don't think I remember this place being so eerily vacant before," Murph said as he and his Slowking trailed being Solana and Plusle.

Solana pressed a few buttons on her styler.

"It has been a while since the Panula Cave's pokémon were so unnerved. It must have something to do with that unidentified pokémon that was reported near here."

"Think it's a predator?"

"Maybe to most of the pokémon here but not all. It wouldn't frighten the Mamoswine, Golem, or Steelix. Yet, none of them so far appear to be here."

"Maybe it's a Legendary?"

"Legendaries don't intimidate pokémon, Murph. They're guardians."

"Well, yeah. But that doesn't mean the pokémon won't fear them."

A holographic scanner shot out from Solana's styler and it began analyzing the wall she was pointing it at.

"The thermographic camera is showing images of infrared radiation deeper in the cave. The Panula pokémon are still here. They're just hiding."

"They're afraid."

Solana put up her styler. "At least we know there are no mechanical devices causing any disturbance since the Go-Rock's Squad's Gigamero towers were razed and destroyed after the Shadow Pokémon insurgence. That means the cause is entirely environmental."

Murph took out his styler and pressed a few buttons.

"I sure hope all the pokémon are okay. Scanners show that the internal temperature of the cave has decreased by 13 degrees."

"Well, that's why we're here," Solana looked to her right shoulder. "Stay alert, Plusle."

"Pla Plah!"

Solana and Murph continued to tiptoe through the deeper levels of the Panula Cave until they came upon a rather large nook in the back end of the cave.

Stepping inside, Solana and Murph saw a family of Cubchoo and Beartic huddled together.

"They're shaking," Murph observed.

Solana walked up to the group of pokémon and knelt down on the ground. They cowered in fear.

"It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you." She said gently. "I'm here to help try and figure out what's got you all so frightened.

Plusle hopped off of Solana's shoulder and approached them.

"Plah Pla! Pla Plah Pla!" she said cheerily.

The Beartric all looked at each other, wondering if they could truly trust the blue-haired human.

The smallest Cubchoo waddled away from its mother and stumbled forward towards Plusle. Plusle was just a hair taller than the young pokémon and caught her when she fell over.

"Pla Pla?"

Solana walked over to Plusle and knelt back down.

"Pla Plah Plah. Pla Pla?"

Gently, Solana took the young cub pokémon from Plusle. As Solana looked over the pokémon she noticed that there was no mucus pooling out of its nose. Cradling the Cubchoo in her left arm, Solana reached into her pack with her right arm and pulled out a latex glove. She then began to lightly touch around the Cubchoo's mouth and nose once she put it on.

She frowned.

"Its nose isn't running," she said, "It isn't sticky under its nose or anything. It's ill."

She put her hand to its forehead. "And it has a fever too. It's burning up."

Noticing an etching on the wall, Slowking alerted his human.

"Slowking. Slowking."

"What is it, pal?"

He pointed to the wall. "Slowking. Slowking Slow."

Murph looked over the niche. "Hey, Solana? You may want to take a look at this."

Still holding the Cubchoo, she walked over to Murph.

"Do we have any potions on us or anything? I'm not sure this little one is well enough to just leave here," she said as she looked up. There were several red claw markings chiseled across the wall.

"Is that…blood?" Solana asked as she squinted her eyes at the markings.

"I have no idea," Murph said worriedly, "It looks like there's some heat markings around it, almost as if the wall was charred. But that's impossible. Not only is this entire cavern made of ice but there are no fire pokémon within miles of here. The way it's scarred, it's almost as if someone took a hot iron and pressed it against the cavern wall."

"Or a pokémon with sharp claws on fire slashed at it until it left these marks." Solana replied as she handed Murph the baby Cubchoo and started collecting samples.

"But pokémon don't just attack walls? And there are no fire-type pokémon around here. How could this kind of damage take place?"

"Remember the pokémon that was spotted here was unidentified. We don't know what type it was. But whatever pokémon caused these markings, they weren't trying to sharpen their claws. They were trying to do more than make another pokémon faint." Solana put the sample tools away back in her pack and started using her styler to analyze the wall again.

"This is definitely trace evidence of blood," Solana said as her styler continued its scan.

Murph quickly put his hand to his mouth.

"Urg…I think I'm gonna be sick."

Suddenly, the ground starting shaking violently. The Beartic and Cubcho started to cry and wail.

"What's happening?!" Murph cried. "Earthquake?!"

The area abruptly became hot. A cloud of fire suddenly erupted down the hallway and billowed into the room.

"Murph, get down!" Solana screamed.

As quickly as she said that she ran in front of her friend and emitted a large light blue shield from her super suit, protecting herself, Murph, and the surrounding pokémon from the nebulous inferno.

"Solana!"

"Plah Pla!"

Solana grunted as she fought to keep her shield up. The power of the explosion was pushing her back and making it difficult for her to focus to maintain her shield.

Murph looked down to his pokémon. "Slowking, use Psychic and help Solana out!"

"Slowking!"

Slowking's eyes glowed purple and his body outlined in purple energy as he tried to control the fiery blast.

"Murph, cover the pokémon and get out of here!" Solana cried as she was pushed further back.

Murph shook his head resolutely. "No way, Solana! We agreed we'd stay together. I'm not leaving you!"

Glancing at him briefly with one eye, Solana screamed as she tried to push back the flame with her shield.

The blue force field transformed from a large orb to a solid wall, blocking the flames from entering the small alcove.

"Come on!" Solana cried as she grabbed Murph's hand and sprinted down further into the cave. The Beartic and Cubchoo followed behind them.

Solana ordered all the Beartic to use Hyper Beam at the back end of the cave. They obediently complied as Solana's barrier started to break.

The combined force of the Hyper Beams penetrated the cave's back wall and they all quickly ran out. No sooner after they ran to the side did Solana's shield finally break and the fire exploded through the back wall in long streams of flames.

Breathing heavily, Solana and Murph watched the flames shoot out until the ice melted into a surf of water and the flames were finally extinguished.

Murph slumped down on the ground.

"What in the world was that?!" he cried. "Where did that explosion even come from?"

Solana put her hand to her chest and closed her eyes.

"I…I don't know. But one thing's for sure. These pokémon are no longer safe here…I'm gonna call Wintown and have them set up a reserve for them. We better get back and report this to Spenser. He needs to know what just happened."

* * *

"Come on, Leilani. You gotta give us more than that?"

Leilani took a long drag on her ice tea.

"Sorry, Lisa. Private shoot. No spoilers."

All day she had been getting pestered by Lisa and Summerland's other female rangers about the photo shoot she had with Victorian Starsi. While Leilani did enjoy the extra attention, she had signed a nondisclosure agreement before they began taking pictures, so that nothing that they covered in the photo shoot would be leaked to the public. Leilani had major respect for the fashion maven and she was not about to risk any future contract she might have working with the editor-in-chief just because her fellow coworkers were gellin'. And Leilani, being the fashionista that she was, was itching to get in some more of the designer fabric. If she played her cards right, she might be able to buy some of those clothes for herself at a discounted price.

The redhead crossed her arms. "That's not fair, Leilani. You get to take off and model for Victorian Starsi while the rest of us are stuck here doing missions and you don't even have the courtesy to tell what's hot and what's not?"

"Hey, it's not my call. I signed a nondisclosure agreement. I can't spill. It isn't my fault Starsi picked me and Solana at the mall. You guys should have been there."

"Oh, right. Like I was really going to give up my one day off and _not _spend the day with Nick. We haven't seen each other in months!"

"That's because he moved to Johto and yah'll decided you were going to try to make this long distance thing work. Don't be trying to make me feel guilty just because yah'll ain't smacking lips like you used to. You both made that decision."

Lisa scowled and stood up.

"Whatever. I'm just saying it's not right to hide all that information from us, especially since you know eastern pokémon migration season is coming up. How am I supposed to make eloquent captures if I don't know what's in and what's out? What am I supposed to wear?"

"How about your uniform?" Leilani said dryly with a raised eyebrow.

Lisa made a rude sound. "Whateves. When you decide to be less selfish, you know where to find me."

And with that, she left the room.

Leilani rolled her eyes.

"You sure it was a good idea to leave her storming off like that?" Percy asked as he took his bento box out of the fridge. "You might find yourself going to the bathroom a lot this evening."

"Pfft. Please. Lisa has got to be one of the vainest people I've ever met. She's almost on Aria's tier. I wish that girl would put a laxative in my water. She don't know who she's messin' with."

Percy sat down beside Leilani. "How did the photo shoot go by the way?"

Leilani sucked her teeth. "I'm so tired of people asking me that. I signed a nondisclosure. I can't say anything. Why is everyone making such a big deal out of this?"

Percy gave her a funny look. He poked on her her shoulder and she recoiled back.

"What was that for?"

"Sorry. I had to see if you were really you."

"What?"

"Not a big deal? Just a few weeks ago we couldn't get you to sit down for two seconds, you were that revved up about modeling. And now you're saying it's not a big deal?"

Leilani picked up her drink for another sip.

"Well, yeah, initially I was super hyper about it but after a couple days and actually doing the photo shoot, the excitement isn't so high. I was just star struck. And that was a great opportunity for me. Still, it's nothing to get all fussy about anymore."

"So, what happened there that changed your mind?"

Leilani sucked her teeth again.

"Is anybody listening to a single word that is coming out of my mouth? I can't talk about the photo shoot."

It was Percy's turn to roll his eyes. "I'm not asking about the photo shoot. I'm asking how it went. Performance-wise. Did everything turn out okay? Did you guys feel good afterwards? That sort of thing."

"Oh. Well, in that case, it was great. It's a good message we're sending to our generation and we totally rocked it."

"Did you just say 'our generation'?"

Leilani sighed. "Yeah. I've been spending too much time watching late night television."

Percy chuckled.

Cameron stepped into the kitchenette.

"Leilani, you have a visitor."

"Yes, Leader."

"And when you're done, I have an assignment for you. You too Percy. Finish up you snack, then meet me in the lobby.

"Yes, Leader," they both answered in unison.

Getting up from the table, Leilani entered the base's lobby to see who was visiting her. Her mouth dropped when she saw Alejandro.

"Hey, Leilani!" he said cheerily.

Leilani quickly ran to him and started pushing him outside.

"Hey now. Is that anyway to greet someone?" he asked when they finally reached outside.

Leilani threw her hands up. "Alejandro, what are you doing here?! You can't just show up to my job unannounced!"

"Well, I remember you saying that Summerland was your home base, so I figured I'd stop by and check and see what you were up to."

Leilani grasped her forehead.

"Alejandro, though I appreciate your concern, you really can't just show up here like that. Especially without calling first."

"Why not?"

"Because this is my workplace. People are constantly coming in, asking rangers for help &amp; assistance. It gets very busy here and my Area Leader doesn't like it when folks show up during business hours to do things with us rangers that we could and should do on our own personal time."

Alejandro looked behind her.

"It doesn't look too busy to me."

Leilani sighed in annoyance.

"Look, Alejandro, I'd be happy to talk with you once my shift is over but I am currently on-the-clock. I can get called on a mission at any time and I need to be prepared to help Summerland citizens when it happens."

Alejandro smiled.

"Oh, that's so noble of you."

"Noble? It's my job! And you're cutting into it!"

He held up his hands. "Okay, okay. I don't wanna stop you from doing what you do. It's one of the things I admire about you. I just wanted to invite you out this evening to the stadium. There's a tournament going on between the regional Champions of the world and I got two tickets right in the box."

Leilani's eyes went wide. "For real's?"

Smiling smugly, Alejandro held up two blue tickets in his right hand.

"Sweet!" Leilani exclaimed. She quickly covered her mouth and regained her composure. "But you could have waited until after I got off to tell me that."

He shrugged. "Eh, I wanted to give you the good news."

"Leilani!"

Leilani looked back and saw Cameron standing behind the open double doors.

"I'll be right there, Leader."

Cameron turned around and the automatic doors slid closed.

Leilani turned back to face Alejandro.

"Look, I gotta go. I'm about to be called on a mission."

"Can I go with?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. Civilians are not supposed to be involved in missions unless they are guiding us or the ones who need rescuing."

"I can just watch from the side?"

"Alejandro, please."

He pouted. "Fine. What time should I pick you up?

"I get off at seven."

"But the tournament starts at eight! We gotta leave by 6:30 at the latest if we wanna get there on time."

Leilani crossed her arms. "I get off at seven."

"But we'll miss the performance by this year's Pokémon Contest Ribbon Cup winner!"

"…I get off…at seven."

Alejandro exhaled in annoyance.

"Fine. I guess we'll miss it." He turned around and started for his motorcycle.

Leilani watched him go until he was out of her sight.

Shaking her head, she turned around and went inside to hear what assignment her Leader had for her.

* * *

Solana sighed as she pressed the doorbell to Lunick's house. It had been an exhausting day after her mission with Murph in the Panula Cave. She had no idea just how tired she was until she actually got back to the base. The super suit still drained a lot of her energy. True, a lot of the major bugs had been fixed, but the suits still required complete focus and concentration to operate. The mind power and mental prowess required alone to execute a command was still enormous. Solana putting up her shield to deflect the explosion of the fire and then molding it into a protective barrier so that they could escape sapped most of her strength. She actually had to be looked after by the base's Nurse Practitioner and have her vitals taken because she had spent so much of her energy. She was given ibuprofen to take for her tension headache. Murph and Spenser were both concerned but the NP assured them that Solana would be fine.

After getting checked out by the NP, Solana phoned Wintown and told Shauna about what had happened back at the Panula Cave and that the pokémon who lived there needed to be evacuated. A squad was dispatched to treat and relocate the pokémon to Wintown's nature reserve. The Cubchoo who they found earlier was put in isolation and a special vet was called to look after the pokémon so that it wouldn't have to be separated from its mother in a pokémon hospital.

Lunick was not anywhere to be seen when Solana returned and she was told that he was sent home a few minutes before she had arrived back with Murph. Solana knew he was really stressed from earlier that day and she told herself she would do all she could to lift his spirits. She hated to see him so exasperated. It was so unlike her boyfriend's happy-go-lucky, relaxed attitude that it was scary to see him like that at times.

The doorknob turned and the door was pulled inward. Lunick was wearing a white vest and his Ringtown uniform shorts. His sun necklace rested right in the center of his chest.

He smiled instantly once he saw Solana at the door.

"Hey, Babe," he greeted cheerfully as he gave her a quick peck on the lips. He stepped aside and allowed her and Pluse to come in. "How was the mission?"

"Exhausting," she said as she rested down her pack by the front door. Plusle hopped down from Solana's shoulder and she and Minun greeted each other. "We had to relocate all the Panula pokémon because of the explosion."

"There was an explosion?" Lunick helped Solana take off her uniform jacket. "Are you hurt?"

"No, just extremely worn out." She replied as she took off her shoes, leaving on her white socks. "I have no idea what caused it but we were lucky to escape. It's a good thing Spenser allowed us to take the super suits."

"S'ha," Lunick breathed out. He wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm just glad you're safe. I don't know what I'd do without my 'Lana."

He gave her another quick kiss.

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

Letting her go, Lunick started for his kitchen.

"You hungry? I just finished making some cucumber sandwiches."

"Cucumber sandwiches? Okay, who are you and what have you done with Lunick."

Lunick chuckled. "What? I can't make something light and froufrou?"

"Not unless you deep fry it in vegetable oil first." Solana said as she started for his living room.

"What can I say? Watching all those cooking shows really inspired me to be more creative with the presentation of my meals. Plus, I know how you are about carbs and what you call 'fattening foods' so I had to figure out something you would eat."

Solana stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a blonde-haired girl sitting in Lunick's living room. She looked up from the magazine she was reading and smiled and waved at Solana.

"Konbanwa!" _Good Evening!_

Solana didn't even blink.

"Lunick!" she shouted as she stormed into the kitchen. He was holding a platter of heart and star-shaped cucumber sandwiches.

"Yes, Babe?"

Solana grabbed him by the shoulders and roughly pushed him in the hallway.

"Ow! Rude much?"

Solana pointed in the other room. "What is she doing here?!"

Lunick peeked into the other room and saw Iyori reading through _Trainers _magazine.

He turned back around to Solana. "I couldn't get her to give the temporary housing a chance. She won't go to a hotel, so I told her she could come home with me and we'd figure out something together."

Solana's eyes widened. "You did what?! Lunick, what the heck is wrong with you?!"

Lunick closed his mouth and narrowed his eyes slightly at Solana. He walked into his living room and set the plate on the round table in the center.

"Here, Iyori. I made some sandwiches."

"Dōmo arigatō." _Thank you very much._

"Dōitashimashite. Did you find anything you like?" _You're welcome._

"Nothing yet."

"Keep searching. Don't worry, we'll find something."

Iyori nodded.

Lunick turned around and walked passed Solana into his kitchen.

Solana followed behind him.

"Lunick, what the hell are you thinking?!"

Lunick took out some carrots from his fridge and began scraping off the outer layer with a cutting knife.

"Oh, gee. I don't know. There's a vulnerable terrified young girl following me around everywhere. I took pity on her and brought her here so that she'd know she wasn't alone and that she was safe. I'm such a terrible person for wanting to show some compassion to an arson survivor."

Solana approached him.

"What you're doing goes far past compassion. Do you realize how emotionally involved you are getting with this case? You're forming an attachment with her. You are allowing your feelings to cloud your professional judgment."

"What would you have me do? I couldn't just abandon her? That'll show her that I don't care."

"No, that'll show her that you have boundaries that she needs to respect." Solana retorted.

Lunick put down the knife and sighed. "Solana, I know this is making you uncomfortable but Iyori's very fragile right now. She's not thinking straight and I'm a little worried about what will happen if I just leave her on her own."

Solana's features softened.

"You think she'll kill herself?"

"I don't know what she'll do. That's why I'm so concerned. She's super frail right now and so far, I'm the only one she trusts. I've just got to figure out a way for her to feel safe without me being around all the time." He started chopping the carrots, "I knew about halfway through our discussion earlier there was no changing her mind. She's not just being a stubborn Tauros. She's traumatized and extremely paranoid. I just want her to feel secure. The mere thought of me not being around sends her into panic attacks and coughing fits."

"Lunick, I understand that you feel bad for this girl but we're not superheroes. There's a reason we're not supposed to get personally involved with our missions. Finding Iyori shelter, keeping her safe. That's not our job. That's for the people we referred her to."

"But she's not taking advantage of those resources, Solana. She's not accepting help from anyone other than me. And it's just not in me to turn away from her when she needs help. I took an oath to defend the citizens and pokémon of this region with my life when I became a ranger and I meant every word of it. I can't just leave Iyori in her darkest hour. That's when bad things happen."

Solana watched him continue to chop the carrots until they were practically shredded, they were so fine. She walked over and placed her hands on top of his to get him to stop.

"Lunick," she said softly, "You don't have to keep explaining that. I know your heart. But there is a reason we hand these cases over to another department when we don't get through. Spenser is not going to be happy with you that you've taken such an interest in Iyori."

"Leader doesn't have to know."

"Lunick, you can't possibly –"

"I'm not gonna just leave her, Solana. Iyori trusts me to keep her safe. And I fully intend on keeping my promise, no matter how inconvenient it may be to me."

Solana looked him in his eyes and rested her hands on his chest.

"She's not going to want to stay anywhere else, Lunick. She wants to remain close to you. And I don't think letting her stay here with you is very wise. Not to mention it's a huge insult to me."

"Her staying here is an absolute last resort. And if it came to that, I would for sure not be living here with her."

"So then, where will you go?"

"I'll cross that bridge if we ever get there. But for right now, I just need to find somewhere close by where she will have access to me without interrupting my work."

Solana looked up to the ceiling in thought, then looked back at Lunick.

"What if she stayed at the base?"

"Uh, Solana? I'm trying to avoid being caught by Spenser. We can't let civilians stay at the base. There's no way she can sleep there."

"But she could if she worked there."

Lunick gave her a funny look. "Are you actually saying you want Iyori to sign up to become a ranger? Have you lost your mind?"

Solana stepped back. "No, not a ranger. Only employees can stay at the ranger bases, right? If Iyori got a job at the base, say as a receptionist, she'd be allowed to sleep there just like anybody else."

"Iyori doesn't trust anyone, Solana. How are we gonna get her to even step foot into the base without me there, let alone work as phone clerk and operator for the entire base?"

"Murph told me Professor Hastings has been looking for a new assistant. The way I see it, this is a way for her to feel safe and secure, interact with you, and it'll keep her busy enough that she doesn't interfere with our work or personal life."

Lunick pursed his lips. "Mmm…I don't know. This sounds kind of shady and underhanded. Plus, you don't think it'd be weird to have a recent victim and client suddenly popup working for us?"

"Not if we explain it right. We just have to say Iyori took a special interest in the Pokémon Ranger profession and you saving her inspired her to become more involved in helping the community."

"But Iyori would still have to agree with everything you're saying?"

Solana walked up to Lunick and cupped his face with her hands. "You just leave that part up to me. I can be very convincing."

Lunick narrowed his eyes slightly.

"What are you planning?"

Solana grinned. "Just a way to make this situation easier for all of us."

"You're not gonna do anything crazy, are you?"

"When have you ever known me to be crazy?"

"When you're raging mad. Hell hath no fury –"

"Keep talking like that and I'm going to revoke certain privileges."

"Shutting up now," Lunick said making a motion like he was zipping up his mouth.

Solana smiled softly. She let go of Lunick and scooped up a handful of the finely chopped carrots.

"Now, what were you planning to do with all this?"

Lunick smiled sheepishly. "I was initially going to make you a garden salad but I think it's better suited for coleslaw now."

Solana dropped the carrots back on the wooden chopping board.

"I think coleslaw in a nice sweet vinaigrette sounds lovely. You can use what's remaining to make some sweet cabbage patch bread."

Still smiling, Lunick walked over to his fridge and pulled out a head of cabbage.

"So, I take it you're staying here tonight?" He asked as he began slicing the cabbage.

"Natch. No way I'm leaving you two alone in here with your one bed."

"You don't trust me?"

"Did I say that?"

Lunick grinned evilly. "No, but if you slept with me in my bed that would make it a whole lot harder for Iyori to cling onto me."

Solana arched her eyebrow.

Lunick instantly realized his mistake when he said it.

"I so didn't mean it that way, Solana."

"I should hope not," she said as she turned around, "As tempting of an offer that may be, I think I'll just sleep on the couch. Don't wanna start something we may not be ready to finish."

"I totally agree. But you can sleep in my bed. I can sleep on the couch. I do it all the time at your house."

Solana stopped in the open doorway that led to the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe.

"How about I sleep on the floor in your room and you sleep in your bed?"

"Reverse that and it's a deal."

"So it is then." Solana answered as she crossed her arms.

Lunick went over the cabinet next to his refrigerator.

"Balsamic or red wine vinaigrette?"

"Balsamic," she said without turning around.

Lunick went back over to his counter and began mixing Solana's coleslaw. He didn't even notice the glare she was giving the snoozing Iyori.

* * *

The Pokémon Mansion on Cinnabar Island was a very old, highly decrepit, burnt building. Rubble and wreckage lay everywhere, and it was a miracle that the time-worn, jaded support beams were even still keeping the building standing with the amount of damage it took years ago. Many burglars came to the mansion in an attempt to steal valuable items that may have been lost in the wreckage. As such, a security officer was posted outside the building to guard it.

Roger gave a big yawn as he stretched in his chair. Rubbing his eyes, he looked down at his wristwatch.

11:20.

"Damn," he cursed. "Elizabeth is gonna be on my ass tonight."

He crossed his arms and looked out in from him. He listened to the night pokémon communicate with one another as he watched the waves brush up on the shore of Cinnabar Island.

He flailed his arms.

"This is ridiculous! Four nights in a row they got me posted at this doddering run-down shack! This ain't no way to spend your night. Man's gotta rest. I swear, Bobby better be here in five minutes or he'll be asking for trouble."

He re-crossed his arms and sighed.

"Okay. Calm down there Roggie-Boy. Just two more weeks of this rigmarole and you can start working under Officer Jenny. Yah just gotta hang in there for two more weeks."

Groaning, Roger leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He listened intensely to the sounds of the waves crashing into the coastline, hoping to take his mind off the present situation.

A crackle echoed to his left and he quickly sat up. Putting on his flashlight he scanned the area.

There was nothing there.

"Strange. I was certain I heard something?"

There was another sound, this time of a twig snapping to his right. He quickly spun around and shone his flashlight.

Sure enough, a broken twig lay on the ground in front of a bushel.

"Huh?"

Hearing a _Snap! _in front of him, Roger quickly pulled out his baton and flashed his light.

A Hoot Hoot stood still in front of him.

"Whowhoo. Who." It said calmly.

Roger sighed in relief.

"Oh. It's just a Hoot Hoot. You really gave me quite a fright there, little one?"

The Hoot Hoot blinked.

"Who who whohoo."

It's eyes suddenly glowed red. It released several expanding red circles at Roger as it slowly moved closer to him.

Frightened, Roger stumbled back.

"What in the world?"

Roger suddenly felt a crushing pain on the back of his head and he instantly fell to the ground.

A dark figure landed beside him before turning around and heading inside the mansion.

Inside the dilapidated was practically rubbish. Debris and charred remains and fabic covered the floor. A few broken pillars and statues lay scattered and broken and fragmented glass was everywhere. The entire building was more soot and rubble than the Ruins of Alph.

Carefully and skillfully, the umbral figure swiftly maneuvered around the four different levels of the burnt building, unlocking doors by pressing hidden switches on still-standing Mewtwo statues. They collected all the journals on every level before finally making their way to the lowest level to retrieve the last journal.

On a pedestal laid an olive-colored journal. It was torn, singed, and worn, and there were several indentations all over the thick daybook.

Walking over to the pedestal, the person eyed the book. Then they noticed a heavily mummified and charred corpse lying beside the substructure.

"Must be Dr. Fuji," they said to themselves.

Reaching out, they carefully swiped the old journal and stored it away. They looked back over at the carbonized corpse of the deceased scientist.

"Look at you. You look so miserable. Still missing your dear daughter? It doesn't look like your failed experiment finished you off nicely. Let me rectify that."

Reaching into their belt bag, they pulled out a handheld grenade. They removed the pin and then tossed it behind them as the exited the room. It rolled right next to Dr. Fuji's remains.

"Say hello to Amber for me." They said as they casually walked out of the building.

The small bomb detonated and a massive explosion surged through Cinnabar Island.


	8. Chapter 8

"What about this, Leilani?" Solana said as she held out a pair of low-rise bell-bottoms jeans.

Her friend turned around to look at it.

"Does Iyori seem like the kind of girl who would wear jeans?"

"Well, she's got to wear something other than that frilly burnt blue dress." She said as she looked it over. "I mean, I'd wear it."

"Girl, you're more developed than she is, from what I can tell. You're slender but you got more curves."

"I think she'd be able to fill it out."

"Call her over. See if she'll try it on?"

Solana looked around the store of _Beverly's Boutique _and found Iyori sitting down on one of the benches by the dress room area next to Plusle. She was watching Plusle do a little cheer for her and clapping.

"Iyori," she called.

Iyori stopped clapping and looked up. She saw Solana motioning for her to come and got up from the bench to meet her.

"Yes?"

Solana held out the pair of jeans. "What do you think? Is this something you might be interested in?"

Iyori looked at the pair of denim jeans and cringed.

"It's…not really something I would wear."

"You don't like it?"

Iyori bit her lower lip.

"I…I don't know."

Solana tried to read her facial expression but she looked more uncomfortable than anything else.

"Okay, Iyori. Well, why don't you try and see if you can find something you like?"

Iyori started scratching herself. "I…I don't really do much shopping…"

Solana quickly put the jeans back on the rack and grabbed Iyori's hands.

"Hey. No need to work yourself up. It's fine. Leilani and I will continue to try and find something for you, okay? Why don't you go back and play with Plusle?"

Nodding, Iyori walked back over to the dressing room area.

Solana sighed.

"Told you," Leilani said as she continued to sift through the clothes. "Not everyone is stuck in the 70s like you are, Sole."

Solana took back up the pair of jeans.

"Well, I'm getting them. I don't care what you say."

"Suit yourself."

Solana went back to rummaging through the pants. "That girl is more nerves than anything else? Lunick may not have been wrong to be so worried about her."

"Well, I mean, that fire was pretty horrendous, Sole. Whoever it is she's afraid of, she has every right to be. She was almost killed."

"You sound like Lunick."

"Well, you can't ignore it, Sole. I mean, you can say Lunick is being overprotective of her but you can't ignore the reality of what she's gone through."

"I'm not ignoring it. I'm actually trying to help her by buying her some new clothes."

"Yeah, but girl, I know you. You got that fire in your eyes."

Solana held up a capri pants before putting it back on the rack.

"I wouldn't call it fire. More like a Litwick's flame."

"Girl, who you foolin'? Whenever you think someone is trying to push up on your man, you go AN."

"AN?"

"Angry Nidoqueen," she clarified. "Remember that girl at the festival last year?"

"She was flirting with Lunick right in front of me."

"She was asking for his autograph and you pounced on her faster than a Persian on the hunt."

Solana scoffed.

"She was trying to get his phone number."

"Maybe, but don't you think Lunick could've handled that situation without you butting in?"

Solana took out a T-Shirt with a heart on it, then put it back.

"Of course he can. I just also gotta make sure those horny hormone-driven fangirls know who I am and that Lunick is off-the-market."

Leilani shook her head. "I'm just saying you may want to amp it down a little. You don't need to work crowd control. Lunick can handle himself. And if he really feels about you the way I saw at the shoot, then you have absolutely nothing to worry about."

"Leilani!" Solana nearly screeched.

Leilani chuckled lightly.

"Oh, come on, girl. You thought I didn't notice? I mean Lunick was wearing a tight-ass swimsuit. It's no stretch of the imagination."

Solana started to blush.

Leilani gave her a roguish grin. "Girl, you are so lucky."

"Stop. Leilani, just stop," Solana said as she covered her face with her hands.

Leilani flipped her hand. "Relax. You don't have to be embarrassed about that. In fact, Lunick shouldn't be embarrassed at all. He should be quite proud."

"My God, Leilani stop!"

"What? It's not like you're alone. I mean Freddie was getting pretty aroused himself."

Solana peeked between her fingers. "He was?"

"Of course he was. Us being so close on each other like that? All those sexual positions they had us in. That boy was about ready to burst."

"Leilani, they weren't sexual positions."

"Okay, technically they weren't but according to the boys –"

"Leil, stop it!"

Leilani shrugged.

"I don't know what you're getting so flustered about. I mean, it's a natural human –"

"Leil…Lani!"

Again Leilani shrugged. "Fine. I know grownup conversations make you anxious. I won't talk about it anymore. Besides, it's not like it's the first time I've seen Lunick like that."

Solana uncovered her face.

"What?"

Leilani nodded her head without looking up.

"Remember the Ringtown Derby?"

Solana furrowed her brow in confusion, then her hands flew to her mouth.

"Oh my God. You mean back then…you really saw…?"

Leilani smiled and nodded.

"I mean, he was butt-naked on the track, Sole. Everybody saw him."

Solana again covered her eyes. "Oh man. Lunick's going to be so mortified."

"I have no idea why. I mean, he's grown a lot more since then."

"LEILANI!"

"That's not what I was even talking about but he's grown in that department too." She went back to looking through the clothes. "Don't let his slender size fool you. He is all man."

"Leilani, if you do not stop talking about him like this, I swear –"

Leilani held up her hands. "Relax. I'm done. Lunick and his body are all yours. Besides, I already have a Lance to howl at myself."

Solana gasped. "Leilani…Do you mean…?"

Leilani's smile widened and she nodded.

Solana squealed in delight.

"Is it the glossy black and blue haired, leather-wearing, smooth talking, _'I don't care what anyone else has to say about me'_ Latino I think is it?"

Leilani's smile widened.

Again, Solana squealed. "Oh my gosh! Details!"

Leilani put the dress she held in her hands back on the rack and turned fully around to face Solana.

"Well, he took me out to the stadium to the World Champions Tournament in Fall City. It came down to Gary Oak and Cynthia. The Pokémon Professor may have been out of the game for a while but he held his own for a very long while. I actually thought Iris or Steven was gonna end up being in the finals, but nope. It was Professor Oak's grandson. But I guess he didn't really stand a chance against Cynthia. I mean it's Cynthia. She's always two steps ahead every competitor."

Solana rolled her eyes. "I wasn't asking for details on the tournament, Leilani."

"Oh. Right. Well, I don't really know how to explain it. We just kinda hit it off. I mean, I didn't appreciate him coming down to my job to tell me about it, but he more than made up for it when we went out. He's such a gentleman. And so romantic. After the tournament, we went for a walk in Fall City Park. We sat out by the lake. Then we went to the beach in Summerland and watched the waves roll on the shore. And get this, he says he would like to court me. Can you believe that? Who even says court anymore?"

Solana smiled. "And?"

"And…we kissed."

Solana started clapping her hands fervently like a giddy child.

Leilani's smile couldn't get any wider.

"I can't believe this is actually happening. I mean, I know we haven't known each other very long but everything just felt so…right. We just clicked in all the right places. I gotta be honest, I thought I was gonna be an old maid for some time."

"Why would you think that?"

"Not everyone is fortunate enough to date their best friend. Some of these guys out here are real jerks. And after Murph, I didn't think I'd be able to be with anyone…But Alejandro changed all that."

Solana walked you to Leilani and gave her best girlfriend a hug.

"Oh, Leilani, I'm so happy for you!"

Leilani squeezed her back. "Me too. Things are really looking up for us, Sole. No drama. No crazies. Just sweet bliss with our BFs."

Solana leaned back. "We should totally double date."

Leilani smiled weakly and went back to searching through the clothes.

"Maybe further down the line, girl. I don't wanna sound selfish, but I kinda want Alejandro for myself for a while."

Solana shook her head. "That's not selfish at all. When Lunick and I started dating, we got so wrapped up in each other, we hardly paid attention to anything else."

"Don't I know it? The other rangers were starting to think yah'll were doing a lot more than you were letting on all those late nights after work."

"Leilani! How many times do I have to tell you –"

"You're not having sex. I know. But girl, it's gonna happen. Even you guys can't resist temptation that long. I mean, come on. Remember when I said Lunick was turning into a little hottie? Well that boy is now a virile and tantalizing stallion with the equipment to back it up and I know he's about ready to jump your voluptuous behind."

"Leilani!"

Leilani put her finger to her lips.

"Oh right. Grownup conversation. I forgot."

Solana sighed heavily. "You seem like the hormone-driven libidinous one to me."

"Girl, I'm just being real. The amount of time you two spend together and all the playful teasing and pent up sexual tension between you two. It's gonna happen. I just want you to be prepared for it."

Solana also went back to searching through the clothes.

"Lunick and I have talked about this and we agreed to try and wait until our wedding night."

"Key word is 'try'. Nobody makes it to their wedding night anymore, Sole. Not unless you spend most of that time in a convent. I mean, it's not like you two don't do other stuff that would qualify as that. Oral sex is still sex."

Solana was completely flustered.

"Leilani, we're not having oral. Lunick and I haven't even gone past first base."

"Liar. I happen to know for fact you two have done some touching of the erogenous zones and breast stroking."

"What are you talking about? Lunick and I have never done that!"

"That you're aware of," Leilani countered. "You'd be surprised what your body does when you're asleep."

Solana felt like she couldn't breathe.

Leilani caught her fearful expression and quickly continued.

"No, Sole. Nothing like that. I'm just saying you two move in your sleep and your body reacts on its own. I've seen it. Look, I'll stop talking about it, okay? I see this is making you really uncomfortable and I don't want you attacking Lunick for doing things he wasn't aware he was doing. Though, he'd probably have the same reaction to knowing what you were doing as well."

Solana's mouth dropped.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Forget I mentioned it, Solana. You and Lunick haven't done anything. Just…when you guys decide to stay at the base, maybe you should sleep in a room by yourselves from now on, okay?" She held out a red microskirt. "What about this?"

"There is no way Iyori is wearing that," Solana said once she found her voice.

Leilani shook her head.

"Not for Iyori. For you."

Solana barely looked up at her. "What is wrong with you, Leilani?"

"Hey, if you don't want it, I'll take it. I like teasing."

Solana reached over to the rack and took out a baby blue peasant blouse.

"How's this?"

"For you or Iyori?"

"Iyori."

Leilani put her hand to her chin.

"Well, it's innocent-looking. Her wide eyes and side-ponytail would have her looking like a porcelain doll, that I'm sure."

Solana took out a pair of cuffed, knee-length black denim jeans and showed them to Leilani.

She shrugged. "See if she'll go for it."

Solana looked back up at Iyori who was rubbing Plusle's belly and giggling. She walked over to her.

"What do you think of these, Iyori? Are these more of your style?"

Iyori stopped playing with Plusle and looked to see what Solana was holding.

"They look okay."

"Do you wanna try them on?"

She held them out to Iyori.

Iyori tentatively took them from her.

"You try those on and see how they fit. I'm gonna try to find you some shoes, okay?"

"Okay," she said quietly as she walked into one of the dressing room stalls.

"Pla Plah!" Plusle hopped on her ranger's shoulder.

Leilani walked up to Solana.

"Hey, girl. You okay?"

Solana stared at the ring on her finger for a long while, then lightly touched the crescent moon necklace Lunick had given her.

"Leilani…" she began. "…have you ever…you know?…"

Leilani raised her eyebrows. "Who me? No. I don't just give away my cookies for free. You gotta earn that sweet treat. Why?"

Solana continued to play with her crescent moon necklace.

Leilani held up her hands. "Wait, are you seriously considering…sleeping with Lunick?"

Solana let go of her necklace.

"I…don't know."

Leilani put down her hands. "Okay, Solana. I get it. You don't like to be messed with in that way. I promise I'll stop with all the suggestive jokes."

"No, Leil," she sighed. "It has nothing to do with that. I've actually been thinking about this for some time now."

"You have?"

Solana barely nodded. "It's embarrassing, but I have thought about it…I have fantasies."

"That's normal, Sole. You and Lunick have been dating for three years now and you just made a serious commitment to each other near-equivalent to an engagement. Of course you'll have sensual thoughts about your boyfriend."

"They're not just sensual, Leil. They're lustful. They're erotic. I find myself wanting, even craving to move to that next level with Lunick. And it's seriously freaking me out."

Leilani could tell Solana was stressing out about this. She put one arm around Solana's shoulder.

"Have you two talked about this? I mean, really talked about this? Not shying away from the embarrassing feelings and conversations?"

Solana looked at the ground.

"We said we would try to wait as long as we could. You were right. I lied before. We have done more than just kissing, but we never went beyond necking and light touching. We've always stopped ourselves when we felt we were going too far. But now I'm starting to wonder if that really is _too_ far?"

"Does this have anything to do with Iyori clinging on to Lunick?"

Solana shook her head. "It has nothing to do with her. I love Lunick. With all my heart. And he's done so much for me. I just want to show him how much he means to me."

"And you think that having sex is the best way to go about doing that?"

Solana shrugged. "I don't know."

Leilani walked directly in front of Solana.

"Solana, you two need to talk about this. I mean, I know I joke about it a lot but there's nothing funny about it. That's a big step. Emotionally and physically. I'm not saying not to do it. I'm just saying you need to be ready for it. Even if you think you are, you need to find out from Lunick if he is. He has a say in this too."

Solana hugged herself. Leilani knew she was starting to get uncomfortable.

She let go of Solana's shoulder.

"Okay, Sole. Let's not talk about this anymore. You're getting really rattled and this really is something that's just between you and Lunick. But you two really need to talk about this in further detail before you end up doing something you regret."

Solana looked up at Leilani, then looked back at her ring and necklace.

Leilani once again put her arm around her shoulder and started leading her to another section of the store.

"Come on. Let's go get Iyori some shoes to finish her outfit and we can talk about this again later, okay?"

Solana nodded. She closed her eyes and sighed once more. She didn't know what was going on with her. She just knew she found herself wanting to do more with Lunick than just go out and watching movies.

* * *

Professor Hastings adjusted his glasses as he analyzed the icy rock of claw markings Solana excavated from the Panula Cave in the upper level of the Ringtown Ranger Base.

"These red stains are most definitely blood," he remarked as he wrote his findings down in his notebook.

It was then that Murph and Slowking entered the upper level.

"Professor, you've got a phone call downstairs."

"Take a message," he replied, not looking up from his notepad.

"But it's someone from the Ranger Union?"

"Tell them I'll call them back."

Turning back around, Murph started for the elevator.

"Oh, Murph?" Professor Hastings called.

"Yes, Professor?"

"As I understand it, it was you who accompanied Solana on her mission and who pointed out these markings to her?"

"Actually, it was Slowking who found the claw markings. Even if I wasn't there, I'm pretty sure Solana would have found them."

"Still, that was quite brave of you. I know that going out on missions is not an easy feat for you."

Murph started rubbing the nape of his neck. "Well, it was a little scary and challenging but Solana's really good at what she does. She's an exceptional ranger."

"And so are you," Professor Hastings finished what he was writing and put down his notebook and pen. He took off his glasses.

"Murph, lad, I've been watching you and you've been doing an astounding job around here at the base."

Murph smiled weakly.

"Oh, thank you, Professor. But you're too kind. All I've been doing is changing light bulbs and checking on inventory."

"Don't be modest. You've been doing a great job keeping this base in order when everyone else is out on missions. In fact, you've been doing so well, I have a proposal for you."

"Oh?"

Professor Hastings nodded and put back on his glasses.

"You see, lad. The Ranger Union has been short staffed recently, and as a result, I've had a whole lot more to take up on my plate as the Union's Head. But between modifying the super suits and stylers, attending all of the Union regional conferences and meetings, and monitoring the Area Bases here in Fiore as well as continuing with my pokémon research, it's taking quite a toll on me, and quite frankly, is becoming more than too much to manage."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Professor. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Indeed there is," he said as he closed his eyes. "As the Union's Chief of Technology and inventor of the Pokémon Stylers, I need to focus more on my scientific work. As such, I will not have time to manage all the bases in Fiore and attend all the Union meetings, which are imperative. That's where you come in, lad."

"Me?"

Professor Hastings opened his eyes. "I need you to become the Pokémon Ranger Union's Representative."

Murph's eyes went wide.

"What?! Me? But I…That's a big job, Professor!"

"It is," he rested his hand on the youth's shoulder. "And you've shown me that you can handle all that responsibility. Now, I won't start you off with anything too hard. All you need to do now is listen in on the Union Conferences when we have them and take notes. That way you can get a feel for what this job will entail. You will shadow me when I visit the bases and at the end you will take the Proxy's Exam to test your knowledge, resourcefulness, and leadership skills. If you pass, you will officially be certified as the Ranger Union's Representative.

"B-But…But…"

"I know you will make me proud, lad," Professor picked back up his notebook and pen. "Now go tell whoever that is on the phone that I'll call them back after I finish this –"

Professor Hastings was cut off as his phone started to ring.

"Ooof! Confound this blasted thing!" Professor Hastings reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone, "Hello? Who is this?…Booker, what is the meaning of this?! I told you not to call me when I am working!…I know it's been a while since I visited Oblivia, but I've been very busy! You can't just expect me to drop everything and…Don't you bring mother into this!"

Murph just watched as Professor Hastings continued to argue with his older brother on the phone. He could almost see the smoke coming out of the old man's ears.

"Slowking?"

Swallowing hard, Murph turned around and struggled to walk to the base's elevator. He felt light-headed as he stepped inside.

Him? The Ranger Union Representative? This could not go well at all.

* * *

Solana rested her hand on her fist as she continued to watch Lunick write in his log book. They actually had the night shift off for a change, which usually meant spending the evening either going out to dinner and dancing, or hanging out at one of their houses watching home movies. Not this time, however. Lunick spent the time writing down his progress on the day's missions. Pizza was ordered and they were setup in her living room, spreading everything out on the coffee table.

Solana had finished her report long ago but Lunick was always slower in entering his. Something about actually writing an assignment for Spenser just lowered his ability to function as he ordinarily would. It wasn't quite test impairment level, but it was enough to overwork the gears in his brain.

Getting up, Solana scooted closer to Lunick and started rubbing his back gently in small circles. Her fingers glided easily over the light material of his insulated polyester black fitness vest. She could feel the lumps of his backbones, the wiry muscles of his back. She could feel the tension in his body. His whole back was wound up like a coiled spring. She kept up the backrub for a good half hour, amusing herself with the sight of Minun eating more than half his weight in cheese pizza (they were careful to keep the pepperoni away from the little guy. He'd eat it like it was going out of style but it tended to have…unpleasant side effects on him.

"Baby, why don't you take a break?"

"Can't, 'Lana. I gotta get this done tonight," he said as he took up a sheet of paper and eyed it like he was trying to make it poof into ashes.

"Lunick, you're not gonna get it done by banging your head on the table. Come on, lean back, close your eyes and forget about all this stuff for a moment." She lowered her hand to the small of his back, tracing the top edge of the board shorts he was wearing.

"No, Babe. I'm gonna finish this." He put the sheet of paper down and put his hands to his temples, frustrated he couldn't get his mind to work. "I don't know what's wrong with me, but I just can't get my head in the game."

"Maybe because you've been so stressed these last couple of days," she said as she took his hands down from his head and began massaging his temples. "Just sit back and relax. You don't have to turn in your report until Monday anyway."

Lunick leaned back and let his head rest on her chest.

"Monday, yeah, but I want to get this done."

"And you will. You just need to stop stressing about it. Isn't that what you're always telling me?"

Leaning in she kissed him on the back of his neck. It was a quick peck at first, followed by a tender nuzzle behind his ear before she returned to his neck, her mouth opening, and her tongue tasting him, tracing along the fine hairs. Teeth brushed against his skin just hard enough to send an electric shudder through his body but gentle enough that she wouldn't leave a mark.

Solana then crawled onto his lap and kissed him hard on the lips. She rested her hand on his thigh, giving it a light squeeze as her tongue entered his mouth.

Lunick gave into the kiss and wrapped his arms her waist, letting them hover just above the hemline of her denim shorts.

Solana's hand traveled up his thigh, dangerously close to his groin, her fingers kneading the corded muscles of his quadriceps.

Lunick pulled back. "Solana, this is nice. But I really need to get back to work."

"Why? You always said you were a master of procrastination. I want you to show me just how skilled you are at it."

She kissed him again on the lips, her fingers slipping up ever so slightly.

Lunick broke the kiss again. "Yeah, but that's not something I'm very proud of. I'm trying to break that cycle."

"Tonight? Lunick, you don't have to turn in the report until Monday. Aren't there other things you'd much rather be doing?" She walked her fingers up his chest before letting it rest back down on his thigh.

Lunick smiled uncomfortably. "Of course there are other things I'd rather be doing. But just because I want to do them, doesn't mean I should."

"What if I want to do them as well?"

She scooted closer on his lap, a very private spot on her body resting very close to his.

Lunick gently lifted Solana from his lap to beside him on her sofa. "As tempting of an offer that is, Babe, I really have to focus on finishing my report. If I don't have this ready to turn in, Spenser will bite my head off."

"You will have it ready to turn in. You just don't have to do it right now."

Lunick took up his pencil and went back to writing in his log book.

"If I don't do it now, I'm not gonna pick it up again until the very last minute."

"And?"

"And I don't want to end up rushing to get this done. Solana, you don't turn your papers in at the last minute."

"But that's me. You're you. And you do papers at the very last minute."

"Which I don't like. You're the one always telling me to knuckle down and get focused. Well, that's what I'm trying to do."

Solana took the pencil from Lunick's hand and placed it back on the coffee table. She once again hopped onto his lap and started kissing him fiercely on his lips.

Lunick once again pulled back. "Solana…I need –"

"Yes, Lunick, you need this," she said softly to him, her hand reaching under his vest, her fingers spreading out on his stomach, running up his chest. Then, she pushed him back on the couch, throwing one leg over his, all the while working on his neck. She then went back to kissing him on the lips. Lunick was valiantly trying to struggle but Solana wouldn't let up. She was much more adept at keeping her opponent pinned down when she wanted. Still, he was finally able to pull away from her in order to get a word in edgewise.

"Babe," Lunick breathed, "This is very nice, and I do like it. But I need to finish my report. You're distracting me."

"Good," she said, sitting up slightly. "I'm tired of seeing you work yourself so hard. These last couple weeks have been so stressful for you. I just want to make you feel good. Forget about all the troubles of the world and just relax."

She went back to kissing Lunick on the lips, her hands tracing the lines in his abdomen as she lifted up his undergarment.

Lunick gave into the kiss a little as she lifted the athletic vest over his head. She then went back to kissing him as she rubbed her hands on his neck and chest.

Shocked, Plusle spit out the treat she held in her mouth. She ran over to Minun, who was still wolfing down the pizza aggressively. She gave him a hard shove, causing him to fall into the open pizza box.

"MaiMai Mai!"

"Pla Plah!"

She pointed at the two humans. Minun looked at them, his eyes widening slightly, then went back to munching on the pizza slice he dropped.

"Plah Pla Pla!"

"Mai."

Growling, Plusle grabbed Minun by the foot and started dragging him out the room.

Minun flailed. "Mai MaiMai Mai! MaiMai Mai!"

Plusle let him go and demanded they leave to give their rangers some privacy.

Scowling, Minun picked up three slices of cheese pizza and waddled into another room. Plusle rolled her eyes before following behind.

Lunick's hands drifted down to Solana's backside, lightly caressing her. She purred as he gave her a light squeeze.

Lunick suddenly broke the kiss and leaned back.

"Solana, Babe. We need to stop."

"Why?" she asked, looking at him with the saddest Poochyena eyes he'd ever seen.

He let go of her and pushed her off slightly as he sat up. "This is getting a little too intense. I don't know how I'm gonna get any work done now, I can't think straight."

"Then let's continue," she said as she leaned forward again.

Lunick pushed her back. "No, Solana. I can't. I'm sorry. I have to try to get this report done. It's not the fact that it's due Monday. It's that I have a lot of missions to cover and not a lot of time to do it. We gotta get up early tomorrow and if I don't get this done now, I won't. I'm sorry. But I just can't do our usual playful antics tonight."

Solana sat up on his lap.

"Alright, Lunick. What helps you concentrate? Tell me."

"Well, I think quiet helps." He said as he put back on his black vest.

"I don't think it does. I think it actually has the reverse effect. You get really wound up when it's too quiet, like it's the loudest thing in the world to you. You panic when you think about the pressure you're up against."

"What do you mean?"

"Lunick, when you're stressed, you over-think and overanalyze everything. Maybe not on the same level as me, but you do do it. Everything becomes a distraction to you. But do you know what I noticed? When I'm around, it's not exactly the same thing. It's not that you can't think straight when I'm around. Because you're actually not thinking about me at all. You're thinking about the future. Our future and your own personal goals. You get so wrapped up in the what-ifs and the coulda-shouldas that you freeze up and stop working. When I'm here, I push you to do your very best. You get out of your own head and actually start to put forth the work necessary to complete your task. You said you can't function properly without me. I don't know if that's true, but you definitely function better when you know I'm right here supporting you."

She put her arms around his neck. "And I always will be. The same way you tell me I'm not gonna lose you, you're not ever gonna lose me. And you don't have to worry about your future. You're talented, you're skilled, and you have everything you need to succeed already on the inside of you. So yes, you need this, if for nothing else than to remind you that everything is going to work out just fine."

She moved her hands behind his head and pulled him in for another kiss. She pushed him back down on the couch once more, lowering her body over his, straddling his lap as she pulled his hands around her waist. She leaned back slightly, looking at the wistful expression on his face.

Reaching down, she grabbed the bottom of her teal tank top and pulled it up over her head. Lunick gasped and instinctively averted his eyes at the unexpected move. He never mentioned it to her, but he was usually very aware when she went without wearing a certain article of clothing, usually depending on what kind of top she was wearing. She wasn't wearing one tonight either. Well, not technically.

In all the years he'd known her, Solana only wore two kinds of bathing suits – one pieces and bikini-imitations. There was something sweet about having a best friend who happened to be a girl…a very beautiful girl who looked badical in a bathing suit.

Solana grasped the sides of his face and moved his head back to face her.

"Open your eyes," she said gently.

Warily, Lunick slowly opened his eyes.

The celeste blue bikini top was layered in ruffles and had pale pink fiesta-fashion pompoms dangling on the lining. It showed off more skin than he had ever seen her willingly show, perhaps a little more than the lilac bathing suit she wore for the photo shoot.

His expression changed from wistfulness to a goofy yet nervous grin as Solana took off his vest once more.

"Ahhh…Solana?…"

"Shhhhh," she hushed. She laid down on him, her chest melding into his. "Just enjoy it, Baby."

Solana's plan worked perfectly. By focusing his mind back to her, he was able to focus more on his assignment. In a fit of productivity, Lunick was actually able to finish writing his report that night, fully enjoying doing the work with his girlfriend in a skimpy bikini.

Solana whispered in his ear what was likely the dirtiest thing he had ever heard her say.

"I'm gonna make you study and work hard for the next month."


	9. Chapter 9

"You did what?!" Leilani exclaimed. "Girl, I told you to talk to him about it, not try and see how quickly you could get him into bed with you."

Solana played with the straw in her drink. The two of them had completed their missions for the morning and decided to have lunch together in Fall City before Leilani headed back to Summerland. Of course there was no way Solana couldn't keep what happened last night between her and Lunick to herself. Leilani may be a wildfire at times but she also had moments of clarity, wisdom and insight. Who else could she go to with questions about sex? Leilani may have been a virgin as well but she clearly knew a lot more about it than she did when it came to intimacy.

"I couldn't help it. When Lunick and I are alone, that's all I can think about." Solana stopped playing with her straw. "It doesn't matter. Lunick wasn't interested anyway. He just wanted to finish his report."

"Can you blame him? You probably scared the living daylights out of him. Lunick is a sweet guy, Solana. And a gentleman. He would never take advantage of you."

"Of course not. But I was willing? I practically screamed at him I was ready but he still didn't take the bait."

"Perhaps that's a good thing, Solana. I mean, yesterday you were talking about how special you wanted your first time to be on your wedding night."

"You're the one who said nobody waits till marriage anymore."

"But I wasn't green-lighting you to seduce the boy!" Leilani countered.

Solana rested her hand on the table. "Leilani, it's like I told you before, and what Lunick nearly blurted out that time at the concert. We do do more than kissing. We haven't gone all the way but we've gotten pretty close. I can't help it. Every time I see Lunick I just want to be in his arms, pressed up against his chest, and feel his hands all over me. I mean, I thought this was every guy's fantasy. Why wouldn't he want to do it?"

"Look, Solana. This is exactly why I said you two need to talk about this. It may not even be that he doesn't want to do it. It may just be that he's trying to be respectful of you. Of course Lunick thinks about it. He's a guy. They have wet dreams for crying out loud. But Lunick is not just some guy. He's a good guy. A really good guy who is so in love with you. I can almost guarantee you he did not really want to focus on writing his report and would've much rather preferred to be up with you in your bedroom. But if he had the presence of mind to turn you down, I think that's a pretty good sign of where his head is at. He loves you, Solana. And he doesn't want to hurt you. You told me waiting was something you both wanted to do. Why are you trying to rush it?"

"I'm not trying to rush it," she replied. "I don't know what's going on. All I know is whenever I'm alone with Lunick, that's all I think about. And it's driving me crazy."

"I cannot stress enough how much you two need to talk about this, Solana."

"I don't want to talk about it. I just want to do it."

"That's the problem. You want to hurry up and jump into something because of your feelings. In fact, it's not even your feelings. It's your carnal human instinct. But we're not pokémon, Solana. We don't just go and mate with someone we don't even know just because we're in heat. That's the problem. You're in heat. Your body wants Lunick but I'm not sure your mind does. Be thankful that Lunick has the willpower to fight off his carnal desires, because somehow, I don't think you would've been happy with him if he actually relented into doing that last night. He knows you."

Solana sighed. She held her head. "You're right. I have no idea what's wrong with me."

Leilani got up from the chair and rested her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Nothing is wrong with you. You're just letting your flesh control your actions and not your head." She grasped her chin and turned her face so she could look at her. "Talk to him, Solana. Let him know where you're at. Let him know what you want. And see what he says."

Leilani's styler suddenly started vibrating.

"Leilani here…Uh Huh…Fall City…Okay, tell Leader I'm on my way."

Leilani disconnected the call and put her styler back in its holder.

"I gotta jet, Sole. Cameron has a mission for me in the Olive Jungle."

Solana stood up. "That's okay. I gotta be getting back to the base anyway. Our lunch break's nearly over."

Leilani nodded. She once again placed a hand on Solana's shoulder.

"Please talk to him, Solana. I know it's hard. Conversations like this are embarrassing and Lunick is very tempting but please talk to him first."

"I'll try."

"Call me if you need to talk?"

"Most definitely."

Leilani brought her in for a hug before letting her go and starting outside of the mall.

Solana watched her go before picking up her half-drunken smoothie and throwing it into the trash can. She then exited the mall as well and headed for Ringtown.

* * *

Solana and Plusle entered the Ringtown Ranger Base. She was surprised to see Lunick seated behind Spenser's desk, typing on his computer. Minun was standing on top of the desk, handing various papers to Lunick.

Solana walked up to him.

"Hey, Lunick," Solana said quietly.

"Hey, Babe," he replied casually as he continued to type on the computer.

Solana leaned over the desk and started tracing circles.

"What's wrong?" Lunick asked without looking up.

"Why do you think something is wrong?"

"You're just standing there, circling the table with your finger. You don't usually do that unless you're lost in thought. What's on your mind?"

Solana stopped rubbing her finger against the metal work desk and folded her arms on the table.

"Lunick, we need to talk."

Lunick immediately stopped typing and looked at Solana with worrisome eyes.

Solana nearly slapped herself for using that overly used break-up line.

"No, Lunick. I didn't mean it that way. I'm sorry. I should have worded it better. I meant we need to talk about something important."

Lunick seemed to relax just a little bit at hearing that. He went back to typing on Spenser's computer.

"Okay. What did you want to talk about?"

Solana bit her lower lip. How was she supposed to breech this conversation? Was she supposed to just outright tell Lunick she wanted to sleep with him? Was there a more subtle way to approach the topic? Was this even the right place to talk about such a touchy subject?

"Solana?" she heard him call.

"Yeah?"

"What did you want to talk about?"

Solana sat up from the table. "Oh, uh…it can wait."

"Are you sure? You said it was important?"

Solana nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. It's not that important to interrupt what you're doing."

She decided now was not the best time. She walked around the desk to join Lunick on the other side.

"What is it you're doing anyway?"

"Leader asked me to man the front desk while he was out on a mission. I'm just entering these files in for him and logging all the reports we've gotten so far for the morning."

"He's out on a mission? Spenser doesn't usually go out on missions himself unless it's an expedition or some huge dangerous adventure."

"Yeah, apparently it's a high priority mission. A Legendary is involved. Deoxys was spotted near the new Jungle Relic in Summerland. He, Joel, and Elita all went to investigate."

Solana looked back at the base's entrance. "I sure hope they're all okay."

"Finished," Lunick said. He saved his spreadsheets and sent them to print. Once the documents finished printing, Lunick picked them up from printer and secured them in a manila folder in Spenser's file cabinet.

Lunick took up a pen and paper.

"Now I can start on Iyori's résumé."

Solana turned back around. "Résumé?"

"Yeah. Your plan was to get her to stay here at the base, right? Well, we gotta fill this out first before approaching Spenser about it. Everyone is out on missions now, so it's the perfect time to try and complete this."

Just then, Iyori stepped out of the base's storage room. She was wearing the baby blue blouse and cuffed knee-length jeans Solana had bought for her the other day. She was also wearing a pair of white tennis shoes. Her hair was still done up to the side of her head in a high ponytail.

Lunick smiled. "You look great, Iyori. Awesome job, Solana."

"Thank you, Lunick."

Iyori walked up them. "I do not normally wear pants like this. It will take some getting used to. But I do like the combination." She looked up at Solana. "Thank you for buying me this, Miss Solana."

"Oh, don't worry about it. It was no problem at all."

Lunick tapped the desk with is pen. "Iyori, are you ready to fill this out?"

Iyori was confused. "Fill what out?"

Solana quickly put her hand around Iyori's shoulder.

"Hey, Iyori. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Certainly."

Solana guided her back to the base's storage room.

"You just continue filling out what you know, Lunick. I'll bring her back in a second."

Lunick scratched his head. "O…Kay…"

Stepping into the storage room, Solana closed the door behind her.

"What did you wish to talk about?" Iyori asked.

Solana sighed before turning around to face the young girl.

"Iyori, I owe you an apology."

"You do?"

"Yes, I do. The way I spoke to you back when you came to the base looking for Lunick after you had been discharged from the hospital?…I was way out of line and I'm sorry."

Iyori's confused expression turned into a small smile.

"Oh, you do not need to apologize for that, Miss Solana."

"Yes, I do. I was wrong to speak to you like that. I know you've gone through a lot and that you've lost a lot in that fire. That was no way to address you, even if I did suspect you were going after Lunick."

"I assure you, you have no need to worry. I would not do anything to disrespect Lunick-san or you. Lunick-san cherishes you. Whenever we are alone, all he does is talk about how lucky he is to have you in his life."

"He does?" Solana cracked open the door and saw Lunick playing 3D Pinball: Space Cadet on Spenser's computer.

"He cares an awful lot about you. Lunick-san has a level of devotion and zeal for you I've not seen before. Whenever he talks about you, his features just come alive. His heart is on full display whenever you come to his mind."

Solana smiled as she continued to watch Lunick play his game.

"Thank you, Iyori." She said as she turned back around.

"Why are you thanking me?"

"For telling me this. You may have just helped me make an important decision I wasn't sure I knew the answer to."

Iyori smiled. "Oh. Well, I'm glad I could help you with your decision-making."

Solana nodded. "Mhm. And now it's my turn to help you."

"What do you mean?"

Solana crossed her arms slightly, not out of irritation but moreso because she was trying to figure out how to approach the youth about her situation.

"Iyori, you do know you can't stay at Lunick's house forever?"

Iyori's eyes fell to the floor and she grasped her left arm with her right hand.

Solana was careful to watch her movements. "Iyori, Lunick and I want to help you but you're going to have to start allowing us to help you the way we need to, even if it may not be exactly what you want."

"There is no place I can stay where I am safe from that man. He will track me down and kill me, I am sure."

"We're not gonna let that happen, Iyori. We're going to keep you safe. But you cannot keep staying at Lunick's house and follow him everywhere he goes. He has a job that requires him to go out on dangerous missions on a daily basis. We can't risk your safety."

Iyori started to dig her nails into her skin. Solana saw this and tried to be a little gentler with her words.

"Iyori, you can't stay with Lunick. But we think we may have come up with another solution where you can still feel safe."

Iyori looked up at Solana.

Solana smiled softly. "Iyori, how do you feel about staying here, in the Ringtown Ranger Base?"

Iyori gasped. "Here? By myself? With all these strange people walking in?"

Solana could see the panic in her eyes and immediately tried to see if she could help calm her down.

"It wouldn't be strange people, Iyori. It would be Pokémon Rangers. My Area Leader, my coworkers. Lunick and me."

"But I do not know these people! They could hurt me!"

"No, they won't hurt you, Iyori. Do you remember what Lunick told you about Pokémon Rangers?"

Iyori sniffled. "That…You work to protect nature…And keep our world safe…"

"And who inhabits this world?"

"…Humans and pokémon?"

Solana exhaled. "There you go. Pokémon Rangers work to protect people and pokémon and keep them safe. Nobody here is going to hurt you. We're here to help guide and protect you, okay?"

Iyori sniffled again and nodded her head slowly.

Solana walked into the storage room's adjoined bathroom and came back out with several sheets of tissue paper.

She handed them to Iyori.

"Here."

Iyori took the tissue paper and blew her nose in one.

"Do you think you'd be willing to try it out? Can you do that?"

Iyori barely nodded her head yes.

"Okay. Come on."

Solana opened the storage room door and led Iyori back into the lobby. Lunick was still playing Space Cadet on Spenser's computer.

"Are you both done?" he asked without looking away from the monitor.

"Yeah, we're done. Is Professor Hastings here?"

"He's at his lab in Fall City."

"Lunick, why don't you and Iyori fill out the application together. I'm gonna go talk to Professor Hastings to see if he'd be willing to take Iyori as his new assistant."

"Application? Assistant?" Iyori asked.

"Yes, Iyori. In order for you to stay here, you have to work here."

"What?" she cried.

Lunick pulled up a chair beside him. "Don't worry. I'll be right here with you filling it out."

Iyori looked between Solana and Lunick before timidly walking over to the chair and sitting down beside him.

"I'll be back, Baby. Oh, and after you finish here with Spenser, I have something very special planned for us tonight."

"Oh really? What is that?"

Solana shook her head. "No spoilers. But you may want to wear something nice and comfortable. Nothing fancy, casual attire will do."

"Are you taking me out to dinner?"

"You could say that. It's a new place I have in mind. We don't usually eat there. But it's my hope you'll enjoy the food."

"Hey, so long as food's involved, I'm in. What time do you want me to pick you up?"

"Come around nine. We may not get off till late this evening."

"Nine? You sure the place will still be open by then?"

"Mhmm." She nodded.

"Okay. See you at nine, love."

"See you then."

* * *

Professor Hastings' lab was a complete mess. Books laid everywhere on the floor, papers were scattered, test tubes and flasks were all over, and mechanical parts were sprawled out in every direction. It was all Solana could do not to step on anything that would puncture her shoes.

"Professor?" she called as she tried her best to step around the dangerous matter. "Professor?"

She heard a _kerplunk! _ and a _Boom! _coming from upstairs. After several moments, Professor Hastings could be seen walking down the stairs, rubbing his head. He tripped over a wooden crate and fell to the floor.

"Professor!"

Solana and Plusle quickly hopped around all the obstructions. She knelt down and held onto his arm when she reached him.

"Professor, are you okay?"

"Pla Plah?"

Professor Hastings continued to rub his sore head.

"Oooh…What a tumble that was…My, my."

He shook his head and blinked several times. Everything was a blur.

"Confound it, I've lost my glasses," he cried.

Solana looked around them. She saw his red horn-rimmed a couple feet away.

"Plusle, can you get that for me please?"

"Plah Pla!"

Plusle ran over to Professor Hastings' glasses, picked them up and ran back to Solana.

"Pla Pla!"

"Thank you, Plusle. Here Professor," Solana said as she took the glasses from Plusle and handed them to Professor Hastings.

"Thank you," the old man put on the glasses on and suddenly everything became clear again.

"Ah, much better," he turned to face Solana. "Solana, lass. What a pleasure it is to see you."

"Professor, how did your lab get in such a terrible state? It's downright dangerous in here. How can you even work?" Solana asked as she helped the Pokémon Professor to his feet.

Professor Hastings sighed. "Well, between my research work, scientific studies and the many alterations and adjustments I have to make to the Union shipments, my workspace has become a cluttered mess. I've been meaning to fix it up but I just haven't had the time."

"Professor, this is too hazardous for you to be working in. You can seriously get injured. Or anyone else for that matter. Why don't you have someone come and clean the place?"

Professor Hastings dusted off his lab coat. "Nonsense. I don't want some stranger touching my stuff. I can tidy this place up myself."

"But you haven't. Honestly, if I'd known how bad it was in here I would've called someone myself to help out, even if I wasn't already going to tell you to hire an assistant."

"Come again?"

Solana handed Professor Hastings his cane.

"You're in dire need of an assistant, Professor Hastings. This lab is a wreck. You need someone to help you organize your stuff and manage the lab when you're not around."

"Bah! I need no such thing."

Solana put her hands on her hips.

"Professor, be reasonable. You can't take care of this stuff all by yourself. That's the reason you hired Crysta in the first place."

"And she moved on to other things. I decided I shall never hire another person again after that Go-Rock Squad diabolist used my research against me!"

"Professor, Natasha did no such thing. There was a listening device planted in one of your textbooks. Natasha left because she couldn't take your suspicions and constant criticisms anymore. She had nothing to do with the Go-Rock Squad."

Professor Hastings's eyes hardened.

"Hooey and hogwash, I know what I saw!"

"Okay, Professor Hastings. Even if that was true, you're gonna let yourself get swamped in all this drudgery and work in a junkyard of a laboratory because you can't bring yourself to trust another person?"

"I don't appreciate your sass, Miss Tsuki."

"I'm not trying to sass you, Professor. I just don't understand why you're so adamantly refusing help when you clearly need it."

"I don't need some hooligan coming into my workspace, messing with my things. Moreover, I already have someone assisting me with my affairs."

"Who's that?"

There was another _Thud! _and a _Smash!_,followed by a resounding _Crash! _coming from the lab's upper level. Loud footfalls could be heard on the stairs.

"Professor?…I…I don't know if I can…Whoa! –"

A person suddenly fell from the stairs. Several books flew in the air as they nearly fell and hit the floor. Luckily, they were saved by a psychic field of purple energy.

"Murph?" Solana wondered as she saw her colleague floating upside down in the air. His Slowing appeared behind him from the stairs.

"Oh, h-hello, Solana," Murph replied nervously.

Slowking turned his human back around and placed him gently on the ground. He then stacked the many thick textbooks and continued to carry them with his Psychic.

"Slowking."

"Thanks, buddy."

Solana was still confused. "What are you doing here, Murph?"

Before Murph could answer, Professor Hastings interjected.

"Murph is studying to become the Ranger Union's Chief Representative."

Solana's eyes went wide.

"Really?" she said as she looked back over to her friend.

Murph bit his lower lip and nervously looked away.

"Indeed he is," Professor Hastings said proudly. "He's shadowing me. I had all these textbooks on Union rules, policies and regulations and Ranger certification, so Murph agreed to come pick them up and study. He will be taking over the PR position for me."

Solana smiled widely. "Wow, Murph. That's great. I'm so proud of you. Congratulations."

"Aheheh…Erm…Thanks Solana."

Professor Hastings started walking towards the lab's entrance.

"We must be getting back to the base post-haste. The Union has a conference scheduled in half an hour and there is still much work to do. Move those feet, Murph."

Professor Hastings suddenly slipped on a liquid chemical that was on floor seeping from one of the broken flasks and he started to fall.

"Professor!" Solana and Murph cried in unison. Solana quickly sprinted to his side and caught him before he hit the floor.

"Oho! Much obliged, Solana."

Solana helped him up. "Professor, I'm serious. You are in desperate need of an assistant. I'm likely to call Leader and tell him that you've been working in such a disgusting state."

"That is not necessary, lass. Spenser tends to overreact when it comes to me and my health and safety. Surely, he would blow this out of proportion."

"Professor, at least meet the girl I have in mind. She's very sweet and she really is interested in the Pokémon Ranger profession. She can help you get this place organized and clean up all this mess, though, I still think calling a maintenance worker will be the best option."

Professor looked around his lab and grumbled. It was in a shabby state.

He looked back at Solana. "You trust this young lady you're speaking of?"

"I do."

"Hmm," Professor tugged on his beard. "Alright. I'll give her shot. But I am doing this solely on your judgment, Solana."

Solana smiled and nodded.

"Yes, Professor. I promise you won't be disappointed. Iyori will not let you down."

"Iyori?" Murph cried. "Iyori wants to work for Professor Hastings?"

"You know this young lady, Murph?"

"She's a young girl Lunick –"

"Met on a mission," Solana finished for him. "Lunick helped her out and since then she's been wanting to know more about what Pokémon Rangers are and how she could help."

Murph gave her a strange look.

Professor Hastings nodded. "Well, seeing as you three seem to know this young lady quite well and vouch for her, I look forward to meeting her."

He once again started for the lab's entrance, careful not to trip or slip on any more of the items on the floor.

"Come along, Murph. The Union needs their stenographer."

Murph sighed. He watched Professor Hastings walk out the door.

"That's quite the accomplishment, Murph." Solana said as she approached him.

"Yeah, but I don't think I've really earned it. Professor Hastings just asked me on a whim. I don't know what he was thinking asking me to do this."

"Maybe because he sees your potential?" Solana encouraged as she crossed her arms.

Murph sighed again. "The only thing I'm good for is changing light bulbs and eating."

"Murph!"

"Sorry. It slipped out."

"You gotta stop talking down to yourself. You're better than that. Much better than that."

"I guess," he shrugged. "Hey, why'd you lie to the Professor about Iyori?"

"I didn't lie."

"You didn't tell the whole truth?"

Solana uncrossed her arms. "Look, Lunick and I are trying to help Iyori to get back on her feet. She won't go anywhere else but Lunick's house. I barely got her to agree to stay at the base."

"But only rangers, PR techs, and PR nurses can stay at the base?"

"Hence, why I'm getting her a job as Professor Hastings' assistant and the base's receptionist."

Murph frowned. "Solana, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, Iyori's still very delicate."

"This is the only way I can think to help her. Allowing her to stay at the base will rebuild her confidence and trust in others. And she won't constantly be bothering Lunick when we have to work."

"Maybe, but it can get pretty hectic at the base, especially when distressed citizens come in begging for help, like Larry. I don't think that's something she should witness in her current state."

Solana reached into her pocket and pulled out her styler.

"She'll be fine. Lunick and I will be looking after her. And once Professor Hastings takes her in as his assistant, I'm gonna ask him to do the same."

Professor Hastings called from outside. "Murph! What're you doing, lad? Move your caboose and put some speed on those feet! The Union waits for no one!"

Murph sighed. "I gotta go, Solana. Can you tell Leader I'll be back late tonight to submit my log book?"

"He's out on a mission right now but I'll pass the message along."

"Thanks. Let's go, Slowking."

Murph walked sadly to the lab's entrance. Solana frowned. She hated to see her friend so down.

Her styler started vibrating in her hand.

"Solana."

"_You messaged me, girl?"_

"Yeah, I need your help with something tonight. Are you still on your mission?"

"_No, Percy and I are just wrapping up. What's up? You need to talk?"_

"I'll tell you more about it when you come over. Meet me at my house as soon as possible, kay?"

"_Alright. See you then."_

"See you."

Solana disconnected the call. She put her styler back on its holder on her hip and looked around the lab one more time. She cringed, then turned around to exit.

"Come on, Plusle."

"Plah Pla!"

* * *

"You're not seriously considering wearing that, are you?" Leilani asked with crossed arms as she sat on her girlfriend's bed.

Solana looked the cream-colored dress up and down. "What's wrong with it?"

"Are you on your way to church, or are you going on a date?"

Solana rolled her eyes and put the lacy dress back in her closet.

"Well, what about this?" she held up a pair of black slacks and a thin yellow blouse.

"Uh uh. You are so not wearing pants on your date."

"I don't want to be too dressy. I told Lunick to dress casually." She hung the black slacks back up.

"Well, let's see what we've got to work with." Leilani got up from the bed and went to Solana's closet.

"Dang girl, you don't have that many girly-girly things in here."

Solana pulled out a light pink shirt with a purple heart on it, eyeing her friend dubiously.

"Oh sure, that's girly…For a ten year old." She pulled out multiple dresses from Solana's closet and threw them on the bed.

"LBD? No. Lavender one? No, too 'first date'. Blue one? No, too southern belle. Uk!" Leilani held out a long leaf green dress at arm's length. "What is this monstrosity?"

"Hey, my Dad gave me that."

"So that's what it is? Daddy's Little Girl? No way." She threw the dress back on the bed. "Girl, all those times we've gone shopping and you didn't once tell me the tragedy that befell your wardrobe."

Solana crossed her arms in annoyance.

"We're gonna have to do some serious damage control after this."

"I didn't want to wear a dress anyway."

"Well, let's take a look at your skirts." Leilani went back to rummaging through Solana's closet. She pulled out a willowy white miniskirt.

"Now this is what I'm talking about. Girly, with a touch of sexy." She passed the skirt to Solana. "Here, combine it with your yellow peasant blouse and you're all set."

"Thank you," Solana rested the outfit on her bed and went to putting back up the pile of clothes Leilani expelled from her closet.

"So what exactly are you planning for Lover Boy?"

"Since we finished our work early today and Iyori's staying with you tonight, Lunick and I have the whole evening to ourselves. So, I decided to treat him to dinner tonight."

"And the name of this happening new place is?"

Solana smiled as she closed her closet door. "Home."

Leilani arched her eyebrows. "House to yourself, treating him to a home-cooked meal…Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"Everything's under control, Leilani. Lunick's taught me a lot over the years. I think I can handle homemade nachos."

Leilani looked as if she had been shot. Her eyes grew as big as saucers and her eyes dilated as her hand flew to her chest.

"No…way!"

"Chill, Leil. There's nothing to worry about."

"There is so something to worry about. Tell me again who was it that nearly set the Ringtown Ranger Base on fire? Who was it that got dragged all the way down the hall by an electric mixer? Who was it that proved you could burn water?"

Solana narrowed her eyes at her slightly. "That last quip is a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?"

"Hardly. Solana, nachos look real simple but it's not some pre-fab food-style glop like the kind you order from the fast food joints. You still gotta make a lot of the actual stuff yourself."

"Got it all under control. You'll see. That's why I asked for you to come over tonight."

"You bet I'm gonna see. I'm not leaving until I'm sure we don't have to call the hazmat team.

* * *

"Green looks good on you, Leil," Solana said with a sheepish grin.

Leilani was just about ready to admit defeat and throw in the towel. The whole kitchen was filled with a slight haze where the ground beef had started smoking. Solana thought the instructions had been clear. Season meat, brown meat, and simmer. She'd done just that, not realizing she had to actually drain the meat, put oil in the frying pan, and reduce the heat to medium, not leave it on high. It wasn't quite a fire, but it still filled the room with smoke. The meat was most definitely going to be on the crispy side. Ground meat could be crispy, right?

Trying to prevent the smoky mess from turning into a grease fire, Leilani failed to notice the jar of salsa verde Solana left on the stove until it was too late. There was a slight popping sound, followed by a horrified squeal. Solana turned from the table and the cheese she was trying to grate to see her friend covered in bright green spicy sauce.

"Girl, if I did not love you like a sister…" she growled as the mess started to drip from her face to Solana's tiled kitchen floor.

Solana took a dish towel and started moping the mess out of Leilani hair.

"Eww…better go upstairs and wash this stuff off before it gets in your eyes.

Leilani grumbled as she made her way to Solana's staircase and walked upstairs, putting the shower on to run.

"Sorry," Solana yelled from the bottom of the staircase. She walked back into the kitchen and heated the grated cheese in her microwave. When it beeped, she opened it up to see the cheese burnt in the plastic bowl.

Scowling, Solana slammed the microwave door and went to throwing the bowl in the sink. She unfortunately slipped on the salsa that had fallen on the floor from Leilani's face and fell on her butt, the bowl of melted cheese falling straight on her head and splattering all over her face.

Wiping the gooey brown cheese from her eyes, Solana gave a frustrated cry before getting up and stomping into her downstairs bathroom, hoping to get the gloppy mess out of her hair.

* * *

Lunick rang the doorbell to Solana's house, holding a bouquet of red roses for Solana. He had never quite gotten out of his habit of giving Solana flowers whenever he came to pick her up for a date but he knew she didn't mind. Lunick was clad in a simple red sports jersey and white Bermuda shorts. It wasn't often Solana allowed him to dress down for their date nights but seeing as he didn't have to wear anything formal, he said "Screw it' and just threw on the most comfortable thing he could find. If she didn't want him to be homey she shouldn't have told him to dress down.

Lunick could smell a twinge of smoke. Slowly, the gears in his head started to click into place. Solana wanted to go out to dinner at an apparently new place. But there was no new place.

Solana was cooking him dinner!

Lunick reached into his pocket and pulled out the spare keys to her house that Solana had given him to use only in case of emergencies. He couldn't get the door opened fast enough.

There was still a haze in the air of burnt meat and cheese. Green salsa covered most of the electric stove, some of it having formed a crust over the edge of the burner. Fortunately the meat swimming in undrained grease was off of the heat.

Lunick surveyed the damage, wondering how the salsa managed to explode. He knew all too well what that kind of salsa could do if it got in your eyes. His worry only intensified when he heard the shower running upstairs. He quickly sprinted up her staircase, managing to clear it in three bounds. He covered his eyes as he pushed opened her bathroom door.

"Solana? Babe, are you alright?"

Not hearing an answer, he tentatively peeked through his fingers…

…just in time to see Leilani snap out of her 'Deerling-in-headlights trance as she snatched a towel from the rack.

"You better run!"

Solana was just coming out of the downstairs bathroom, patting her hair dry with a towel when a streak of dark green and teal hair in a red jersey came flying down the stairs, a towel wrapped and intensely infuriated Leilani just a few steps behind.

"YOU BETTER RUN!" she screamed again, leaving a thoroughly shocked Solana in her wake.

* * *

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Lunick repeated over and over as Leilani headed for Solana's front door. Despite much apologizing, hiding, groveling, and Lunick swearing on Minun's life that all he had seen were her wide open eyes, he didn't feel like being too close to her right now. He caught her glaring at him multiple times as they helped Solana clean up her kitchen.

Leilani glared back at him one more time before opening Solana's front door.

"Thanks for helping me clean up, Leil."

"Yeah, girl. I think it's safe to say you need to stay away from electrical appliances for the rest of your life," she said as she stepped outside.

Solana started nervously rubbing the back of her neck.

"I'll take that into consideration."

Leilani looked past Solana at Lunick cowering in the corner of Solana's living room.

"You better keep that boy on a tight leash for a couple days."

Solana glanced back at him. "I'll take that under advisement. Not that I'm in support of what happened at all, but I'd say turnabout's fair play. All those years of teasing Lunick about what you may or may not have seen at the derby and you give him quite a show in my own house."

Leilani pointed her finger at her. "You need to teach that boy how to knock. He shouldn't be barging into bathrooms unannounced."

"Well, maybe you should've locked the door?" Solana asked as she raised her eyebrow questionably at her.

Leilani made a rude sound. "I shouldn't have to lock the door with the fear or expectation that some guy is gonna come knocking it down."

"Well, maybe now you will."

Leilani rolled her eyes. "Whatever, girl. What I really wanted to ask you before that catastrophe took place in the kitchen, was if you had finally spoken to dude boy about your…desires?"

Solana glanced back at Lunick. He was still shaking in the corner.

She looked back at Leilani. "No, I haven't told him yet. I had planned to tell him tonight."

"Well, make sure you do tell him. You know how you get once you guys get intimate."

"I promise you I'll try."

"I don't know if I like the sound of that. Try isn't exactly a guarantee it will happen."

"Try means I'm going to do my very best."

Leilani shook her head. "Okay, Sole. I told Iyori I'd be back by ten. I don't want her freaking out on me. I'll talk to you tomorrow, but call me if something happens, alright?"

"That I can most definitely promise you."

She gave her girlfriend a hug and watched her get in her car and drive away.

Closing the door, Solana walked into her living room. Lunick was still curled up in a ball on the floor in the corner of the room.

"Hey?" Solana said as she knelt down beside him.

"Is she gone?" Lunick asked fearfully without looking up.

"Yes, she's gone, Baby."

Lunick quickly unfolded and grabbed Solana by her hands.

"Babe, I swear to you, I didn't see anything! Honest!"

"It's okay, Lunick," Solana said calmly as she tried to still his shaking hands. "I know it was an accident."

Lunick stared at her with uncertainty. "You're not mad?"

Solana shook her head. "I mean, shocked would be putting it mildly, but as far as mad, no. I know it wasn't intentional. Leilani's still mad but I'm not."

Lunick sighed and covered his face. "She's gonna kill me."

"No she won't. She knows I love you too much."

"I don't think I can look her in the eyes ever again. She'll burn me to a crisp."

"Please, let's not talk about anything burning right now."

Lunick sat up. There was still a slight smell of smoke in the air.

"Solana, what were you doing? Why were you cooking?"

"I wanted to do something special for you tonight. We never did have our celebratory date."

"Solana, you don't have to do anything for me. I love you and I'll continue to love you no matter what. Burnt food and all."

Solana giggled slightly at that despite her insistence that they not talk about it.

"Well, I may not have been able to cook but there is something else I can do to make you feel special. But first…"

She stood up and extended her hands toward Lunick. He took them and stood to his feet.

Solana walked over to her stereo system. "I think I'm up for a little dancing."

She pressed a button on the player and _Better When I'm Dancing _started playing.

She extended her hand once more to Lunick.

He smiled and walked up to her, putting his left arm around her waist and holding her left hand in his right.

As the music started to play they started to do an upbeat salsa dance. They both swayed their hips quickly to the rhythm of the music as they continued the partnered dance to the soca song. Lunick spun Solana around several times, even bending her over to the ground like in the tango. He pulled her up smoothly and they went back to doing the salsa, laughing and giggling with each other.

Getting an idea, Minun stood up on his hind legs and bowed to Plusle.

"Mai Mai?"

Smiling, Plusle took Minun's paws and together, the two pokémon starting mirroring their humans' dance moves.

Lunick then lifted Solana in the air and swung her on either side of him, passing her through his legs the third time before lifting her up in the air once more. Solana then wrapped her legs around him as he spun around with her.

Lunick stopped twirling and they both shared a tender kiss as the song came to a close. What started off as a simple kiss slowly turned into an intense makeout session. Lunick carried Solana over to the couch and gently placed her down, crawling on top of her moments afterwards, not once breaking the kiss.

Once again seeing where this was going, Plusle stopped dancing and nudged Minun to tell him they should leave. Rolling his eyes, Minun and Plusle scurried out the room and ran through the pet door in Solana's kitchen that led to her backyard.

Solana and Lunick continued to kiss intensely. Grasping the bottom of his red jersey, Solana pulled it up over his head and dropped it on the floor. Lunick planted several quick kisses on Solana's neck, sucking the base of her neck, envoking a light squeal from her before they resumed kissing. His hands glided smoothly over her legs, traveling from her thighs, to her ankles, back to her inner thighs again. Solana then peeled out of her peasant blouse, revealing the bright pink bra she was wearing that was partially visible through the thin yellow fabric. Their lips locked again as Lunick's hands slipped under Solana's white skirt, feeling her toned buttocks through her panties.

Solana wrapped her legs around Lunick once more, bringing him down closer to her and pressing her body further into his.

Lunick suddenly broke the kiss and sat up.

"What's wrong?" Solana breathed out.

Lunick was also trying to catch his breath. "I think…I think we may need to slow down…"

Solana sat up as well. "Why?"

"I think…we may be moving too fast."

Solana's heart sank a little. But she wasn't going to push him any further than she already had. "Okay. There are other things we can do."

"What'd you have in mind?"

"Why don't we just lay down here on the couch, order some Thai, and watch _Plusle and Minun's Great Adventure_?"

Lunick smiled and chuckled, his dimples popping out and making Solana's heart flutter.

"Yeah, okay. We can do that." Lunick got up off the sofa and reached for his red jersey.

"Hold on. I didn't say we had to put anything back on?"

Lunick looked back at Solana, smiled, then dropped his jersey back on the floor. He plopped back down on the sofa chair and enveloped Solana in his arms.

"Whatever my lady wants."

Solana smiled as she leaned back on his chest. She tilted her head and gave him another kiss on the lips, bringing him down with her on the couch. Lunick wrapped his arms around her waist and together they watched the animated movie about their two favorite pokémon. Shirtless and all.


	10. Chapter 10

Treecko grumbled as she threw a few twigs in a pile and continued to trail behind her father and his advisors.

"What's wrong, Treecko?" Gible asked. She and Treecko's other two playmates had joined Treecko when they saw her and her father walking through the Sekrain forest. "This is your first excursion outside of your den. I thought you'd be enthralled?"

"Accompanying pa on one of his enlightenment hikes and meeting with the Sekrian parliament is not what I would consider an adventure."

"It's a far sight better than being circumscribed in our dens all day," said Teddiursa.

"Agreed," said Swablu. "It is wonderful to finally spread my cottony wings. It does get crampy when sitting in the nest all day."

"I can't wait to take on Tyrogue. He thinks he's so tough? I'll show him just because I'm at a type disadvantage doesn't mean I can't win!" Teddiursa started punching the air.

Gible turned back to face Treecko. "At least you get to venture with the King?"

Treecko looked at her father. "Am I really? It seems to me pa is more interested in talking with his team than spending any time with me."

"He has to talk with his council. They are the ones protecting Sekra."

"He talks with them every day. Is he so consumed with his work that he has no time to spend with his daughter?"

"Come on, Treecko. You know the King loves you. But he has a responsibility to his subjects."

"But he has a responsibility to me as well, Swablu. If he would just listen to me and let me prove my valor to him, I'm sure he'd let me do more outside the cave. But all he's concerned with right now are lectures and talking with the dream team. It's even worse when the dignitaries arrive."

"Maybe he'll have more time after the meeting?"

"I wish," Treecko grumbled as she continued to trail behind her father.

Sceptile studied the severely charred patches of seagrass he held in his claws.

"And you are certain this was found in the lake by the Temple?"

"Affirmative," said Alakazam. "This is just one of many patches that were heavily damaged."

"Many of the lake-dwelling pokémon are unnerved." Lucario added. "Tension is starting to spread between the shoals. They are even starting to blame Lanturn and her school for the damage to the flowering plants and meadows that provide many of the smaller water-type pokémon with food and shelter."

"Lanturn and Chinchou do not posses nearly the amount of electricity needed to cause this much extensive damage. A searing at this level requires an explosive amount of static and dynamical discharge. I'm more inclined to believe this came from a Magnezone than any other pokémon."

"Gastrodon maintains there was no other pokémon swimming in the lake other than its inhabitants."

Sceptile tried to pick up one of the blades with his claws but it was very brittle and instantly disintegrated when he grasped it.

"There is no doubt the amount of damage the seagrass has suffered. But I am concerned that no beast was able to notice any changes in their environment, such as another pokémon coming in and destroying their home and food supply. The fact that they were able to lose so much and not even know what happened is quite troubling, even moreso since they are entering a state of panic and turning on each other. We will need to launch a thorough investigation. If this damage was caused by another creature entering their domain uninvited then we need to apprehend this beast and restore order to the land."

"Agreed Sceptile." Said Lucario.

Alakazam held out his spoons. "We shall search the perimeter around the lake for more clues. Surely this peculiar intruder must have left behind some sort of incriminating evidence."

"Unless this beast is not a first time offender," replied Lucario. "This may very well be a skilled pokémon. Do not forget they were slick enough to go undetected by the lake's incumbents. This is quite the savvy pokémon we're dealing with."

As Alakazam and Lucario continued to discuss the issue, Sceptile looked behind him in suspicion as he heard a familiar sound. Reacting quickly, Sceptile spun around completely and crossed his arms as the two long blades on his forearms merged and extended into a long sharp glowing bright green point. A large purple and black stream of energy descended from the sky and divided as it passed through the 'X' formed by the Leaf Blade, protecting Sceptile, his cohorts, and the young pokémon from the attack.

A whirlwind whipped up as the powerful beam of energy continued. All the young pokémon screamed in terror.

Sceptile brushed off the attack and pushed back, dispelling the stream.

An unidentifiable shadowy figure moved apace through the sky.

The spores on Sceptile's back glowed brilliant green as well as his tail. With a swish of his tail, he unleashed a barrage of spiraling glowing green leaves at the glob-like figure.

The mysterious pokémon vanished and reappeared next to the tornado of leaves. It then fired multiple glowing light blue, crescent-shaped energy blades at the group.

Sceptile raised his right foot and stomped powerfully on the ground, sending a slight shockwave throughout the land. Several large giant roots with spikes erupted out of the ground, all outlined in a light green aura. The Frenzy Plant then encased the pokémon in a mangrove-like orb-shaped shield, protecting them from the explosive blast from the Hurricane.

After the attack ceased, Sceptile retracted the roots back into the ground.

"Tri-Ball Formation!" He bellowed as he sprinted ahead.

"Shadow Ball!" Alazakam cried as he crossed his spoons and formed a dark ball of energy in front of them.

"Aura Sphere!" shouted Lucario as he formed a light blue orb of energy between his paws.

"Energy Ball!" Sceptile ended as he formed a light green orb of energy between his claws.

Harnessing their power, all three balls of energy grew three times in size.

They all cried out in unison, "Tri-Ball Assault! Shadow-Aura-Energy Sphere Attack!"

They released their attacks and all three balls of energy fused and consolidated into one tri-colored gigantic orb of energy.

The dark creature countered with its large black beam and the two attacks created a massive explosion on impact.

When the smoke cleared, the mysterious figure could no longer be seen soaring above. Sceptile surmised it must have escaped soon after the two attacks collided.

"What was that thing?" asked Lucario.

"Pidgeot!" Sceptile bellowed.

Immediately, the large winged pokémon appeared and landed at his feet.

"You called, sire?" she asked, bowing to show her respect.

"Take these young ones home. There's a dangerous pokémon lurking about in the skies and they need to be home safe in their dens with their parents."

"Yes, sire."

Pidgeot then turned her attention to the baby pokémon. She lowered her wings.

"Come aboard, young ones. We must get you home safely to your parents."

Hastily, the Teddiursa, Swablu, and Gible boarded Pidgeot. All but Treecko, who remained glued to her father's leg.

"Come along, young princess. We must get you home."

Sceptile looked down to his daughter, who was fiercely gripping his right leg. He could see the terror in her eyes.

"That is alright, Pidgeot. You go ahead with those young ones. I'll take Treecko home. Lopunny should be done with her rounds by now."

"Yes, sire."

Pidgeot flapped her wings and lifted in the air, creating a small gust below her.

"Hold on tightly, young ones. You shall be home safely with your parents in no time."

And with that, the large flying-type pokémon disappeared into the cloudy sky. Sceptile watched her go until she was out of his seat. He then turned to his comrades.

"You two go on ahead and try to track down that creature. I must return Treecko home to her mother. We shall reconvene afterwards and figure out a way to calm the lake-dwelling pokémon."

Alakazam nodded. "Alright. But please be careful, my friend."

"Same to you."

Nodding again, Lucario and Alakazam ran off ahead in the direction they were heading.

Sceptile once again looked down at his daughter. She was still holding onto his leg, trembling with fear.

Sceptile bent down and scooped up his daughter. He held her close to his chest.

"Come along, Treecko. Let's go home."

* * *

Solana groaned as a buzzing sound woke her from her sleep. She had fallen asleep with Lunick on her sofa after they spent most of the night up watching movies and making out.

The flickering light of the big television screen was the first thing Solana noticed. Lunick was still sacked out, dead to the world. Sometime during the night he had rolled onto his belly. How he managed to do that and not wake her up, she had no clue. His back was certainly not as good a pillow as his chest, but she really didn't want to move.

Only a few minutes went by when the annoying the buzzing sound overpowered Solana and it finally registered in her mind that it was her styler vibrating on her lamp side table.

Sitting up slightly, Solana strained to reach for her styler, still not wanting to get up and release herself from Lunick's hold. Her fingers barely brushed up against her styler, but somehow she was able to flip it closer to her by tapping the tip of it.

Once it was close enough, Solana grabbed her styer and answered it.

"…Hello?…" she answered groggily.

"_Solana."_ She recognized Murph's voice on the other end. _"We have a situation. We need you and Lunick to come to the base immediately."_

Solana lifted her head and looked at the digital clock on her cable box. 6:15 AM read across the box in ice blue LED lighting. They usually had until 8:00 am on the weekends.

"…Did something…_yawn_…happen after we left yesterday?"

"_All I know is that Leader wants to see us all immediately. I think it involves the mission he went on yesterday."_

Solana yawned again. "Alright, Murph…Lunick and I are…_yawn_…on our way."

"_Please hurry."_

Solana disconnected the call and put her hand to her mouth as she yawned again. Stretching, she gently extricated herself from Lunick. When she stood up, she realized she could have climbed right across him bodily and he wouldn't have awakened. She was so thankful he wasn't snoring loudly.

Waking him up from such a sound slumber seemed so wrong but she knew he had to get up. It wasn't going to be easy, though. Four hours of total sleep after reaching the point of near total exhaustion was enough for Solana, but Lunick would likely sleep all the way through breakfast and on to lunch time before he was firing on all cylinders.

"Lunick, it's time to get up." Solana lightly shook his shoulder. She only managed to make him roll over on his back.

"Mmm…_smack_…Babe, why don't you rub my back some more?…_Snorezzzz_…" He muttered, never once opening his eyes.

Solana crossed her arms. Need to sleep aside, they had to get to base, pronto. This could spell real trouble if he got this way on a mission. He needed to be able to awaken and function in minutes, like her.

"Lunick!" she shouted.

"_Snort_…'Lana, can you hit the snooze button for me?…Thanks, Babe…_Snarg_…" This time he rolled on his side, turning his back to her and burying his face in the pillow.

Solana sighed in annoyance. She put her hands on her hips, bowed her head and closed her eyes in frustration, trying to think of an effective way to wake him up.

Getting an idea, she re-folded her hands and peered down at her sleeping boyfriend. She leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"Hey, Lunick…Minun's eating all your freshly made corndogs."

Lunick sat up so fast you have thought his neck would snap. Alert, his blue eyes found the still-sleeping rodent pokémon and fixed him with an icy glare. It took a few seconds, but Lunick finally realized they weren't inside Trainer Dee's restaurant at all.

He felt something hit his chest and looked down to his red jersey lying in his lap.

"Something's up. We got called in to come in the base right away. Go upstairs, get some fresh clothes, and hit the downstairs shower." Solana picked up her yellow blouse from the floor.

Lunick held his jersey and stood up. "Did they say what it was about?"

"No. Murph just said Spenser wants to see us. It must be kinda serious if he's calling all of us in so early.

Lunick stretched and cracked his neck, making Solana shudder.

"Well, let's not get too worked up. We don't even know what it's about. Let's try to keep a level head until we find out more about what's going on."

He then started cracking knuckles, making Solana's skin crawl.

"Gah! Lunick, do you have to do that?"

"What's wrong?"

"When you do that it makes me want to jump out of my skin. It's so creepy and sounds like you're breaking a bone or something. It's totally unsettling."

Lunick stopped cracking his knuckles and put his hands down.

"I'm just loosening up my joints. You know how much carbon dioxide and nitrogen bubbles build up between your bones?"

"Well, it's like nails on a chalkboard to me and I just find it disgusting. Besides, doesn't doing that cause arthritis?"

Lunick waved it off. "Ah, that's just an old wives' tale. Nothing has ever substantiated that claim."

"Nevertheless, can you please refrain from doing it around me? It's just too much for my nerves to take and quite frankly, extremely nauseating."

"Done."

Solana petted Plusle to try to wake her. "If Spenser wants to see us, most likely all the Area Leaders are doing the same. I'm gonna call Leilani and have her bring Iyori on the Dragonite Bus."

Lunick picked up the sleeping Minun and started for the stairs. "I guess now's a better time than ever to have her start working at the base."

Lunick absentmindedly cracked his back as he walked up the stairs.

"Ah! Lunick!"

"Sorry. Force of habit."

* * *

Solana and Lunick entered the Ringtown Ranger Base while Iyroi trailed quietly behind them. Iyori had been silent the entire ride to the base. Leilani told them she hadn't spoken to her very much either, preferring to just keep to herself and play Rīchi Mahjong Solitaire. She did seem to come out of her shell a little bit when interacting with Lucario, but the fighting/steel type's serious nature didn't provide her with much playful opportunity.

They were both shocked to see Spenser sitting behind his desk with a sling around his left arm, the strap slung over his left shoulder. His head was also heavily bandaged, even extending to cover his right eye and nearly the entire right side of his face. Professor Hastings stood beside him.

They joined a concerned Murph in the center of the room while Iyori went to sit over on the side.

"Leader, what happened to you?" Lunick asked, unable to hide his worry.

Spenser stood up. "It's alright, Lunick. I'm fine. I should actually be a lot worse."

"Was that a result of the mission you went on yesterday?" Solana asked.

Spenser nodded. "I fell down a bluff and landed on my shoulder when Deoxys attacked me. It's not broken, just badly sprained. I also have a dislocated retina and a minor concussion."

Lunick, Solana, and Murph all winced.

"Are the other Area Leaders alright?" Murph asked.

"Joel and Elita are being hospitalized for their injuries. Nothing life-threatening but they are expected to stay there for a few days. Shauna and Lind have taken over as temporary Area Leaders for Winton and Fall City until they recover. But I'm more concerned about the Deoxys. It was behaving really frenzied, like an enraged Gyarados. It was almost as if it couldn't control itself. At times, it appeared like it was having a seizure. It easily subdued us. Not only were we unable to capture it but our stylers were severely damaged in the battle as well."

Spenser nodded over to one of the tables in the back end of the lobby. Two PR techs were looking over the damage.

"But the stylers look just fine to me, Leader?" said Murph.

Professor Hastings interjected. "The externality of the stylers may appear in fine condition but the internal damage is astounding. They are pretty much destroyed and no longer useable. The Capture Line was cut many a times during the Area Leaders' battle with Deoxys and the feedback it received caused a tremendous amount of damage to the stylers. I'm going to have to order a new set for the region, not to mention make substantial modifications considering the amount destruction that took place with just one encounter."

Spenser continued. "I fear for the Deoxys' well being. Its wonton behavior has me worried. As you know, Deoxys is a DNA outer space pokémon, born through the mutation of a space virus inside a meteorite. It is a highly intelligent pokémon. Pokémon researchers and pokémon scientists theorize that its brain is the purple crystalline organ in its chest. When Deoxys was firing its laser beam attacks from its chest at us, I noticed something askew. The crystal in its chest was green, not purple. And it eyes were not white and circular with rectangular black sockets, as it usually is, but its eye sockets were triangular and eyes more oval-shaped. This may seem like a negligible difference considering pokémon can come in a variety of colors and have different markings depending on their environment. But Deoxys is not like our typical pokémon here on earth. Its home is in space, and though there are different atmospheres in the void of hard vacuum that is outer space as well, Deoxys is a unique case, being the product of mutation, not breeding. I'm worried that its DNA has been comprised and that there are a number of anomalies in its present form."

Professor Hastings spoke up again. "As it stands young rangers, our Area Leaders are not capable of continuing this mission. Solana and Lunick, as you both have had prior experience dealing with and capturing Deoxys, I want to ask you both to undertake this mission and complete it on your Leader's behalf. It is possible this might be the same Deoxys you encountered before and it might recognize you and be willing to let you help it. Nevertheless, I want you two to go in prepared. You are authorized to use the battle suits but please use your discretion and be careful. Deoxys is a frightening opponent, especially in its current state."

Lunick made a fist. "We won't let you down, Professor. Solana and I will capture that Deoxys and figure out what's going on."

"You just worry about resting, Leader. Lunick and I can handle this." Solana added.

"I know you can," Spenser replied, "After our battle, it looked as if Deoxys was heading toward the Krokka Tunnel. I suspect that's where it is right now. You two should head there as soon as you're ready."

"Understood." They answered simultaneously.

Professor Hastings walked over to the two techs analyzing the damaged stylers of the Area Leaders. They were trying to restore the battle footage recorded on the stylers during the encounter.

"Any luck, lads?"

"No dice, Professor," said Kevin. "The system is fried. The circuitry is dead. The stylers are obsolete. There's no way we can see what happened."

Professor Hastings closed his eyes in frustration. "Blast! I was afraid that would be the case. And my plans for the new models for the stylers were stolen days ago and the culprit has yet to be caught. Without those blueprints and the data recorded from the stylers I'll have no way of knowing what modifications need to be done and what all needs to be adjusted."

"Install a new transistor." A voice said quietly.

Professor Hastings reopened his eyes and saw a young girl sitting across from the table Kevin and Mark were sitting at.

"I beg your pardon?"

Iyori pointed to the stylers.

"You need to install new transistors and administer an electrical shock to the pulsar power cell within the device's core. That should repair the conductors and semiconductors that amplify and switch the electrical signals and electrical power in the system, as well as restore the circuitry through an electric current and distribute the flow appropriately. This should control the voltage and resistance, and repair the corrupted video file lost from the system's inner workings being compromised from the damaged it sustained."

All eyes were on Iyori, making her incredibly uncomfortable.

She started scratching herself. "Of course…You should do what you deem best…" she whispered meekly.

"Of course!" cried Kevin, "How could I have overlooked that? The terminals for the connection are damaged. The fuse is not only blown, it's completely scorched! It's incredible that the styler didn't even explode. C'mon Mark. We gotta get on this pronto!"

The two PR techs hurried upstairs to begin working on repairs on the Area Leaders' stylers.

Professor Hastings turned back to face Iyori.

"How did you know to do that, young lady?"

She said quietly, "My father is a rocket scientist at the Mossdeep Space Center in Hoenn. He knows a lot about cybertronics, technology…science as a whole. And he imparted that knowledge to me."

"Cybertronics?" Spenser wondered. "Has your father studied life forms in outer space?"

"I suppose. They've sent many rockets, robots, and satellites into orbit to monitor the different phenomenons that take place up there."

"Your knowledge might prove to be very useful in our mission to capture Deoxys and learn what's making it behave in such a peculiar manner. Do you mind sharing all that you know with us?" Spenser asked.

Iyori bit her lower lip. "I…I…um…"

"I know this is sudden young lady but we could really use your help. Not to mention your astoundingly profound knowledge of how to repair the stylers would be quite advantageous to us. I don't think I quite caught your name?"

"…Iyori…" she whispered.

"Iyori?"

"Iyori?" Spenser wondered.

A large smile spread across Professor Hastings face. "Ah, that explains it! You're the new young recruit enlisted to join the Pokémon Ranger team. Much obliged. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Solana has said great things of you. I hope you are ready to take on the responsibilities of being my assistant."

Iyori looked past Professor Hastings and at Solana and Lunick. Solana just affirmed with a slow but firm nod.

Iyori gulped. "I…I'll do whatever I can to help…"

Professor Hastings was beaming. "Excellent! Well, let's get started, lass. We can start by having you explain to me how you were able to dedeuce the problems of the stylers and resolve it so quickly without even thoroughly analyzing them. Murph, lad, we've got some note-taking to do."

As Professor Hastings led Iyori to the base's elevator, Murph sighed and walked languidly behind them.

Spenser turned back to face his Top Rangers. "Why is Iyori here working as Professor Hastings' assistant? She should be talking with relief services and trying to stabilize."

Solana spoke up. "Iyori expressed an interest in the Pokémon Ranger profession. Lunick saving her has really had a profound impact on her."

Spenser looked as if he didn't believe her. "Iyori was scared out of her mind the last time I spoke to her, which wasn't that long ago. She sounded ready to shatter. How is it she is now willing to work in a place that would no doubt give her poignant reminders of the upheaval she suffered over the last few weeks?"

"She feels safe around Lunick, Leader. She wants to partake in the life we're living to help other people who are struggling just like she is. And she feels comforted by Lunick's presence. That's why she has peace of mind."

Spenser looked at Lunick. "Is this true?"

Lunick shrugged. "I suppose. Iyori has expressed numerous times that she feels safe around me. And she has been intrigued by our work. That was one of the first things she asked me when she came in the hospital."

"And her counseling and communication with relief services?"

"We're working on that."

Spenser still wasn't completely convinced but decided not to question them more. He turned around and walked behind his desk.

"You two should get started on your mission. Get the battle suits from the back and head out immediately. I am quite concerned about Deoxys and the state it is in."

"Yes, Leader," they answered simultaneously.

"And Lunick, since I am incapacitated I am designating you as temporary Area Leader until I return."

Lunick's eyes went wide. "Me?"

"Yes. You've shown you can handle running the base on your own in my absence. I will still be here to take care of things while you are out on your mission, but as of right now, you are acting as the Area Leader of the Ringtown Ranger Base."

Lunick could barely form coherent words. Solana smiled and patted him on his back. "I…I don't know what to say…I won't let you down, Leader."

"I know you won't. Now you and Solana should head out. I'll be here waiting until your return. And please be careful."

"We will." They answered in unison.

Spenser watched them head to the back room to change. Siging, he sat down and rested his head on his desk, careful not to bump his injured arm or aggravate his already blinding headache.

He heard the sliding doors open, and slowly sat up.

"Hello. How can I help you?"

* * *

Solana and Lunick carefully trekked through the deeper parts of the Krokka Tunnel. They hadn't encountered any pokémon since they entered, which was very alarming. The glow from the neon bands on their super suits helped to illuminate the dim damp cave.

"Scanners showing anything, Solana?" Lunick asked as he followed behind her and guarded the rear.

Solana continued to press invisible buttons on her wrist. A holographic monitor materialized with various graphs, charts, and dials.

"Nothing in particular. The infrared radiation is kind of weak. I expected to see more pokémon. When Murph and I scoured the Panula Cave the pokémon were still there, just hiding. But there doesn't appear to be many pokémon here. I wonder if they fled the area or something."

"When we were here a couple weeks ago, there didn't appear to be anything unusual either. The tremors that were taking place seemed to be the typical vibrations and quaking that happen when the ground pokémon are burrowing underground. But maybe it was something else after all."

Suddenly, the ground started quaking. Plusle and Minun hopped on their rangers' shoulders.

"Solana, what's happening?"

Solana pressed a few more buttons on the wrist of her super suit.

"There's a strong powerful life force coming this way."

Several boulders started to fall throughout the cave. Solana and Lunick dodged the dropping rocks from the rockfalls. As they landed a few feet away, a powerful force burst through the cavern wall behind them, creating a strong gust of wind that blew Solana, Lunick, Plusle and Minun away. They all were sent crashing into the opposing wall.

Lunick rubbed his sore head. When he opened his eyes, he saw a menacing pokémon hovering above them. It was predominantly reddish-orange in color with a bluish-green face and four bluish-green and red tentacles coiled in a double helix extending from its shoulders.

"Deoxys." Lunick muttered.

The DNA pokémon uttered a guttural cry before bringing its long tentacles together and creating a large multicolored orb of energy within its tentacles. It then fired the gigantic orb at the two humans and tiny pokémon.

Lunick swiftly got to his feet and ran in front of Solana. He quickly activated his shield and they were all surrounded by an orb of red energy.

The Pyscho Boost exploded on impact and a cloud of dust spread out all around them. When it cleared, Lunick was still struggling to hold up his shield. The force from the blast had pushed the protective bubble back a couple yards.

Deoxys then transformed from its Normal Forme into its Speed Forme and escaped deeper into the tunnel.

Lunick let down his shield. He helped Solana to her feet and together the two rangers and their pokémon sprinted after Deoxys.

"That is most definitely the Deoxys Leader was talking about," Solana panted as they raced down the Krokka Tunnel. "Did you see its eyes?"

"Yeah. Triangular sockets, oval eyes, and a green crystalline chest. Most def not the same Deoxys we faced before."

"I remember reading about a meteor that crashed in LaRousse City in Hoenn a few years ago." Solana began. "A Deoxys emerged from the crash site and battled with a Raquaza for a long while, and during that time, a green stone was found and excavated from the crash site. The green stone turned out to be a green crystal that harbored a dormant Deoxys. While Raquaza was just disgruntled because it felt the Deoxys was invading its territory, it turned out that the Deoxys was just trying to find its friend, the Deoxys with the green crystal. Do you think this Deoxys is the same Deoxys that was excavated from the polar region in LaRousse City several years ago?"

"I can't say. But we better capture it before it causes anymore destruction."

Solana and Lunick skidded to a halt as a large orb of electric energy was sent heading their way. They both deflected the attack with their shields. When the dust cloud from the impact cleared, they both let down their shields just in time to see Deoxys transform into its Attack Forme. It then released a black energy beam outlined in dark red aura from the crystal in its chest.

Solana and Lunick both put up their hands and absorbed the blast of Night Shade in their hands. Grunting, they held out until the attack ceased, then they both spun around and condensed the energy into two large orbs and propelled them back at the Deoxys.

The Deoxys blocked the two attacks with its tentacles. Then, it created several clones of itself. All had lifeless eyes, were duller in color, and lacked the trademark crystal in its chest. They were all in their Normal Forme despite the actual Deoxys being in its Attack Forme.

All six clones were outlined in blue aura and released powerful blasts of invisible energy at them.

Solana and Lunick covered their faces from the powerful blast. They both tried to put up their shields but the powerful blast made it very difficult for them to concentrate.

Plusle and Minun ran in front of their rangers and released a powerful Thunderbolt. The electric bolts surfed up the invisible Psychic energy and enveloped all the Deoxys clones. They all dissolved into dust-like particles.

The original Deoxys then fired a purple and black beam of energy with a white aura in the center at the two pokémon.

Solana and Lunick quickly picked up their pokémon and dodged the corrupted Hyper Beam.

Then getting to their feet, Solana and Lunick both fired their friend energy beam at the enraged Deoxys. Pale blue and pale red energy surrounded the Deoxys in a mixed orb. But it quickly burst out of the ball of light energy, creating a whirlwind throughout the cave.

It then fired another Psycho Boost at the two rangers and their pokémon.

Solana and Lunick vaulted to the side to dodge and the orb of psychic energy hit the cavern wall behind them and created an enormous hole in the wall.

A Registeel appeared from behind the shattered wall. It put its arms together and formed a silver ball of energy. Then it fired a silver beam of energy from the ball.

The Flash Cannon hit the Deoxys and it created an explosion on impact. When the smoke cleared, 1/3 of two of the tentacles on the Deoxys' left side were cut off. The Deoxys then fired its Zap Cannon at the Registeel, who countered with Ancient Power. After the two attacks collided, the two pokémon fired their respective Hyper Beams.

Lunick, Solana, Plusle and Minun all covered their heads as rocks continued to fall freely around them and the ground started to shake violently.

"This is getting out of hand. If we don't stop this battle, this whole place is going to cave-in." Lunick said to Solana.

"There's not much we can do. For whatever reason, we're not able to capture Deoxys. It's like it was with the Shadow Pokémon insurgence. Our feelings of friendship cannot reach it."

Though the two Hyper Beams seemed evenly matched, the pressure eventually caused a big explosion. The shockwave sent Solana, Lunick, Plusle, and Minun back. As Solana stood to her feet, she was hit by the Deoxys' dark Hyper Beam and she was sent crashing back into the wall.

"Solana!" Lunick screamed as he ran towards her.

Before he reached her, the Deoxys once again fired its Psycho Boost. Lunick again put up his shield and protected Solana from the blast. The Registeel then fired its Flash Cannon again while the Deoxys released yet another Hyper Beam. The combined attacks were too much for Lunick and they penetrated the shield, sending Solana, Lunick, Minun and Plusle spiraling straight through the ceiling of the Krokka Tunnel.

Trying to regain his composure, Lunick dove closer to Solana and grabbed her while Plusle and Minun held on to either of his legs. As they continued to fall through the air, Lunick twisted his body and thrust his right wrist forward, sending a grappling hook out from the top. It pierced through a cliff and Lunick used the momentum to propel himself and Solana closer to the ground. Once he was a safe distance away, he disconnected the line and allowed himself and Solana to drop to the grassy area below.

Groaning, Lunick slowly sat up. He held his wrist and gripped it tightly, trying to deaden the pain momentarily, before turning his attention back to Solana. Plusle and Minun both hopped off of Lunick and ran in front of Solana to check on her as well.

"Solana?" Lunick said gently as he laid her back on his chest. With his left hand, he cupped her face and brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. "Solana?"

With a barely audible groan, Solana cringed, then her eyes fluttered opened.

"Lunick?" her voice was hoarse and cracked.

Lunick brushed her hair out of her face. He continued to brush her cheek with the back of his hand.

There was another explosion. Lunick looked up and saw the injured Deoxys soaring in the air, a trail of blue aura and rubble behind it.

"Its arms didn't regenerate. Its tentacles are still cut." Lunick observed.

"Lunick…" Solana groaned.

Lunick turned back to Solana. She tried sitting up and she held her head in her hands.

"Oohh, my head…What happened?"

"Deoxys." Lunick looked back up to the sky. The Deoxys was no longer in sight. "Leader was right. This is no ordinary Deoxys."

Lunick winced in pain and grabbed his wrist again.

Solana looked down at his wrist.

"You're hurt."

Lunick looked back up at her. "So are you."

Solana stopped holding her head. "I'm fine. Just a little disoriented."

Grimacing, Lunick stood to his feet. He held out his good hand to Solana and helped her up.

"We better report back to the base and tell the Professor and Leader what happened. They might be able to better ascertain what's going on with Deoxys. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can rest in the back room for a bit before we're called out on a mission again."

* * *

Bill's eyes slowly and weakly opened. Everything was a gargantuan blur and a throbbing sensation pulsated all throughout his skull. He felt like he was drowning in the deep abyss of the Safra Sea.

Bill groaned as he tried to sit up but he couldn't. His head seemed to weigh more than a Hippowdon. He could just make out the iron bars that were in front of him and grasped them with his hands. He laboriously lifted himself off of the cold floor. Breathing heavily, he pulled himself up on his knees.

"Good morning, Sir. I see you've finally woken up," a voice called from afar.

Bill opened his eyes. They felt like they were on fire.

His vision was still blurry but he saw what appeared to be a woman dressed in a midnight blue Venus pants suit.

"Bill Sonezaki. What a pleasure it is to finally meet you. I'm a very big fan of your work."

"Where am I?" he croaked.

"Fiore. You see Mr. Sonezaki, I desperately require your assistance for a project I am working on. I have a sovereign vision that only you can help me fully realize."

Bill pulled on the iron bars, realizing he was in a cell.

"You've captured me? Imprisoned me?"

"Yes. As insurance. Call it a precautionary measure. You see, I'm the kind of girl who doesn't take 'No' for answer. You will help me."

Bill stared angrily at the woman. His eyes stung more than a Seviper's Bite.

"Who are you?"

"Who I am is not important. For now anyway. The salient person here is you. I need that brain of yours. I understand you've just made a major breakthrough in your Pokémon Research."

She held up a disarranged yellow binder which held many papers that were sprawled out in all directions and plenty of different colored bookmarkers.

Bill gasped.

"DNA splicing. Intermixing the DNA of pokémon. I've got to admit, I wouldn't expect such a malicious experiment from you, Mr. Pokémon-lover."

"My experiments are for the betterment of pokémon and humankind."

"Really? You really think the Pokémon Fan Club would find this sort of experimentation acceptable? Compromising the genetic makeup of pokémon, allowing them to access illegal movesets. What a shame it would be if this research were to fall into the wrong hands."

Bill's head was throbbing. "This R &amp; D is not about experimenting with the DNA of pokémon. It is about helping them to better adapt to the land, helping them to resist life-threatening viruses and ailments, improving their bond with human beings. There is so much we can do to help pokémon. They've lost so much of their natural defenses through time, I'm just trying to rebuild them so that they're in optimum condition."

The woman flipped through the gigantic binder.

"Is that so? And you don't find it the least bit unethical?"

"There might be a few opposed to my research but everything I do is for the advancement and prosperity of pokémon."

"Indeed." She closed the notebook. "You and I have similar ideals, Mr. Sonezaki. You want to help pokémon. I want to help mankind. Your research and recent breakthrough is going to help us accomplish our goals."

Bill shook his head. "I will never help you."

"Oh, yes you will. You see, Mr. Self-proclaimed Pokémon genius. I'm very good at getting what I want. You will help me."

"No, I won't. When my colleagues realize I've gone missing, they'll be here quicker than a Ninjask holding a Choice Scarf after ingesting six X Speeds."

"Oh, I doubt that. They all believe you to be on a very long research trip on the Sevii Islands."

"What are you talking abou – "

Just then, the woman took out a small electrical device with a microphone and speaker and pressed a button on the side.

"_Hi there. You've reached famed Pokémon Researcher Bill Sonezaki_. _Unfortunately, I'm away from my lab right now. I've temporarily relocated to the archipelago known commonly as the Sevii Islands to study the many poneglyphs that have been appearing throughout the isles. I believe the Unknown found in the Tanoby Ruins may also provide great answers to this mystery as well. I can't say how long I'll be gone but feel free to leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I return. Until then, take care folks! Remember to love life and love pokémon. Ba-bye!" _

Beeep!

"I think it's safe to say, I don't think anyone will be looking for you, Mr. Pokémon Researcher."

Bill's eyes lit on fire. He reached through the bars. "That VMD is for the protection of my callers and clients!"

"Really? Then why make such a device so easily accessible through Silph Co.? For a Pokégenuis that is quite foolish of you."

Bill growled. "So what if you've convinced my friends and family I'm away on business. I still don't have to cooperate with you. Besides, who said those notes are anything more than my own imaginings? I come up with a lot of weird stuff when I'm brainstorming. How do you even know I'm capable of doing any of this?"

The women merely smiled devilishly as she held up another device, what appeared to be a tape recorder.

"_Aha! It worked! The experiment was a success! I can't believe it!_ _This has got to be the first experiment I've done that didn't result in an explosion or my being merged with a pokémon!…"_

Bill gasped.

The woman stopped the recording.

"You really should be more careful when gloating your monologue of accomplishments to yourself. You never know who might be listening." She put the small recorder in her pocket. "You see, Mr. Sonezaki, I am a very serious businesswoman. I do not like to play games. If I suspect for even the slightest second that you are trying to pull one over on me…"

She pressed a button on her remote. A glass container containing the Clefairy Pokédoll rose from the metallic flooring. It quickly became engulfed in multiple red laser beams, causing the pink doll to explode.

"…You can say goodbye to your beloved pokémon."

Bill gritted his teeth.

The woman turned back to face him.

"So, do we have an understanding? I told you I will not take 'No' for an answer'. You work for me now. And you will do exactly as I say."

"Y-You…You don't have my pokémon."

"Do you really want to take that chance, Bill? I told you I do not like to play games. I do not bluff. I'm a straight shooter. Would you like me to show you just how linear I am?"

Bill grimaced.

The woman walked closer to the cell. She reached in and pulled Bill against the bars by his chest, until his face was mere inches from hers.

"You are going to tell me all that you need to replicate that experiment. You will help me in my conquest, do you understand?"

She shoved Bill hard and he fell back.

"Or you can kiss those cherished pokémon of yours goodbye."

Bill rubbed his head. When he opened his eyes, he saw the woman sitting on a stool in front of him. Her legs were crossed and she was holding a pen and notepad.

"Now, the metal that you used to build your DNA splicer machine, is it steel or iron?"

* * *

Freddie knew he would regret answering his front door the moment he heard the incessant knocking. He actually had hoped that it was some thug trying to break in his house so he wouldn't have to stare his ex's sunken face once again.

Anya smiled lazily. "Hell-lo Freddie-bearz…"

It was all Freddie could do to keep himself from strangling the woman.

"What do you want, Anya?"

She started scratching herself through her torn and dirty brown sweater.

"I'z hurting, Freddie-Bear…Ah need someplace tah stay –"

"No." he said quickly.

"Please, Freddie-Bear?"

"No. Anya, you've caused this family enough stress and turmoil. Go to a women's shelter if you need a place to sleep tonight. There's one just a couple blocks from here."

Anya stopped scratching her arm. "They's iz full. No occupancy."

"Then go find another. Try _Safe Haven_."

"No room dere eider."

"Then sleep with your pimp. I don't know what to tell you, Anya. You cannot stay here. I have to do what is best for my daughter."

Anya looked as though she was about to cry.

"Why are'z you bein' so mean? She'z my daughter too."

Freddie was unmoved. "Go away, Anya. You're not welcomed here."

Anya folded her arms. "Can you'se at least gimme sometin' tah eat?"

"No. Leave."

Anya looked past Freddie and saw his wallet on the lamp side table near the couch. She pushed past him and walked over to it, picking it up from the table and started sifting through it.

"Hey!"

Freddie closed the door and sprinted towards her, snatching the wallet from her hands as well as the two twenty dollars bills she had taken out.

"Come on, Freddie. Ah need some help. Ah'm starving. At least let me buy somethin'?"

Freddie put the money back in his wallet and shoved it in his back pocket. He then fixed his steel eyes on Anya.

He pointed to his front door. "Get out!"

Anya didn't move. "You said you'd always be dere for me when Ah needed you. You said you'd help me."

"You've got three seconds to get out of my house before I call the police and have you arrested for breaking and entering."

"Come on, Freddie. What do Ah need tah do? Ah can make you feel good? Don't you wanna feel good?"

She tried to snake her arms around his waist but he quickly grabbed her and pushed her away.

"You can add solicitation and prostitution to the charges as well," he said as he walked back to his front door and opened it. "Get out."

"You need to help me."

"I don't need to do a damn thing. Get the hell out my house. This is your last warning."

"But Freddie –"

"Three, two –"

"Freddie –"

"One –"

"Daddy?"

Freddie and Anya both looked up and saw Niema standing on the stairs. She was clutching her Teddiursa doll and peering though the opening in the banister.

Anya smiled. "Hi, Baby."

Niema's eyes widened slightly. "M…M-Mommy?"

"It'z me, Honey. How've you been?"

Niema held her doll closer. Freddie's anger couldn't get any higher.

Anya opened up her arms and squatted. "Well, come give your Mummy a hug now?"

Niema stayed in place, exchanging glances between her father and her mother.

"Come on. Come gimme a hug," Anya goaded on.

Niema again looked to her father for reassurance, but Freddie didn't do anything but press his lips tightly together. He wanted this woman out of his house.

Warily, Niema stepped down the remaining stairs and walked slowly to her mother. Before she could react, Anya already had her enveloped in a huge hug.

Freddie's anger just rose twenty degrees and burst out of the thermometer.

"I've missed you, sweetie." Anya said as she continued to hug her daughter.

Niema waited until she stopped before responding.

"M-Mommy…What're you doin' here? Daddy said you was getting' help?"

"I am, sweetie. I am. I just stopped by to visit Daddy. I jus' needa help wit a few things, that'z all."

Niema cringed and covered her nose.

"Eww, Mommy! You stinky!"

"Ah am? Gosh, well I need to take a bath."

"I can bathe you," Niema quickly said. "Daddy bathe me everyday twice a day. We can help you get clean so you don't smell no more."

"Ah'd like that, deary."

"Niema –" Freddie tried to interject.

"We can help her take a bath, right Daddy?" Niema asked, looking her father with sad, longing eyes.

Freddie was careful to watch his tone. "Niema, go to your room."

"Are you gonna bathe Mommy?"

"Niema, go to your room."

Niema frowned. "I hadda nightmare, Daddy. Ah don't wanna go to bed. And I wanna help, Mommy."

"Niema, go upstairs. Let me finish talking with your mother and wait in your bedroom for me."

Niema's eyes dropped to the floor. She gave her mother another hug.

"Bye, Mommy."

"Ba-Bye, Baby. Sweet dreams."

Letting go, Niema slowly walked back to her bedroom.

Anya slowly stood back up.

"She'z gotten so big."

Freddie waited until he heard her door shut before continuing.

"Get out." He commanded.

"But Freddie, I have no place tah go."

"Not my problem. Get out now."

"At least let me read her a bedtime story? You know how she loved to hear the one about the wandering Growlithe."

"Anya, you reek of booze and cigarettes and you can barely form coherent words. I've let your toxic ass stay in this house long enough. I'm not letting you near my daughter." Freddie opened the front door. "Get out."

"You can't keep her from me. She'z my daughter."

"No, she's my daughter. You were never a mother to her."

"But Ah am her mother."

"You're a doped up drunk, heroin-shooting, crackhead whore. Until you get yourself together you will never have a place in Niema's life."

"You can't keep me from her. Dat iz my daughter. I gave birth tah her!"

"Surrogates don't have parental rights."

Anya gawked at him. "Surrogate?"

Freddie's stare was unwavering.

Anya slowly closed her mouth and narrowed her eyes.

"Hah…Okay…Ah zee how it iz…" Ayana wobbled out the opened front door. But before taking a final step she spun around and stared hard at Freddie.

"You wanna play dirtee? Fine…Ah'm coming for my daughter…And Ah'm gonna make your life hell."

Freddie slammed the door in her face. He could feel his blood boiling under his skin, he was seething with anger.

He heard Niema's soft cries through her bedroom door upstairs and he tried to calm down.

Exhaling loudly, Freddie started for the stairs to try to console his distraught daughter.


	11. Chapter 11

Murph held his forehead as he continued to work on his report. He had spent most the past few days taking notes during Union conferences and reading all the Union regulations in a few of the textbooks Professor Hastings had given to him. All this studying was really wearing him out. And he thought being in the field was tough work.

Aria entered the base, carrying a medium-sized package.

Murph smiled weakly.

"Hey, Aria."

"Hi, Murph," she said curtly. "Professor Hastings said to deliver this package to you. Said it was something about Union policies, travel and time management."

"Probably more books," Murph muttered as he took the package from her and placed it on the desk beside his other textbooks.

Aria sighed and sat down on the table.

"These last few days have just been the worst. Lind is the most frustrating Area Leader. He's acting like this is his permanent job and not just some temporary fill-in until Joel comes back. I hope Leader comes back soon because I don't know how much more of Lind I can take. 'You're not doing enough! You're gonna do more than deliver packages while I'm around'. Like, who the hell does he think he is? He needs to remove that stick from his ass and get off his high Horsea and start treating me like an equal. Can you believe he actually had me down in Waterworks today? Waterworks! Ugh. I do not get paid enough to deal with his condescending ass."

Aria took out a lighter from her pack and lit the cigarette she was holding in her hand.

Murph frowned.

"Aria, I thought you were trying to stop that?"

"I smoke when I'm stressed out. You know that."

"But it's not healthy. There are serious repercussions for doing it. I told you what smoking did to my mom."

"I'm not gonna get cancer, Murph. I'm not a chain smoker. I just need something to take the edge off before I return back to Fall City and deal with His Royal Snideness."

"What about your gum? Where's your gum? I bought you some just last week."

"I chewed it all," she said flatly. "Look Murph, I'm already stressed enough as it is. I don't need you giving me flap either."

"I'm just trying to look out for you. Smoking's no joke."

"Yeah, well I can look after myself." She hopped off of the table. "I gotta get back to the base before Mr. Excitable pages me again. Don't wanna ruffle his feathers anymore than I already have."

She drew on her cigarette once more and puffed out a small cloud of smoke.

"Ooh, and before I forget, Professor Hastings says he need you to stop by the lab when you're done here. Says he's got some more tapes for you to listen to."

"Great," he muttered.

Aria's eyes hardened slightly.

"Excuse me. Watch the attitude."

Murph sighed. "Sorry. It's just this PR stuff's really got me frazzled."

"Be happy the Professor's giving you a promotion. Least you'll be doing more than being hogtied in here all day going through the stock. This is a real good chance for you to prove yourself."

"I guess…"

Aria's styler started vibrating. She gave an irritated sigh and silenced it.

"Shouldn't you take the call? What if it's important?"

"If Lind's calling me, it's not an emergency. He only has me doing the drudgework. I'll be getting an earful when I get back anyway whether I answer the call or not. He's probably gonna say I went one minute over my lunch break. Mr. Control freak."

Aria took another drag on her cigarette and held it the puff in her mouth a little while before blowing it out.

"I'll see you when I get off, alright?"

"Yeah…okay…" he replied quietly.

Turning around, Aria exited the base, flicking her cigarette to the side moments later.

Murph again sighed. He got up from his seat and walked over to Spenser's work desk. Opening a cabinet behind the desk, he pulled out a can of air freshener and sprayed the area before going back to his desk and continuing on his report.

Slowking shook his head in dissatisfaction.

* * *

Solana took the cold pack out of the freezer and broke the refrigerant gel inside. Then she kneaded the pouch to spread the contents of the ruptured inner fluid pouch and shook it hard so it could mix well.

Their uniforms were dirty from an earlier mission that morning and they didn't have any spares left at the base. Since they did have an hour before they had to return back, they decided to go ahead and wash their clothes while they enjoyed the little bit of down time they had.

Satisfied that the coolness spread all over the pouch, she wrapped it in a thin cloth and carried it out to the living room to Lunick

"Got your cold compress ready, Lunick."

Sitting up on her sofa, Lunick took the ice pack from her and rested it on his wrist.

"Thanks, Babe. Really appreciate it."

"Has the swelling gone down at all?"

"A little. Seems to be a grade II sprain. Some of the fibres of the ligaments may be torn but at least the bone isn't avulsed and I don't need surgical intervention for it to heal."

Solana sat down beside him.

"Maybe you should be a little more careful when releasing the grapple hook from the super suit? It's used to secure the line for mounting, not as a force to propel you downwards."

"Well, I find a lot of creative uses for things. How's your head?"

"Better. Took some ibuprofen earlier and that seems to be helping."

"Good."

Solana frowned slightly when she saw what Lunick was watching in TV.

"Pocket Monsters? Really?"

"It's a classic."

"What are you, five? How can you enjoy this mindless, heavy-handed, ham-fisted attempt at comedy?"

Lunick gasped.

"Such blasphemy! Pocket Monsters is a brilliant masterpiece of satire full of gags, witticism, facetiousness and camaraderie. It is a priceless work of art."

Solana rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please. They try to pass this crude crass animated farce as children's entertainment. That character Pippi is so vulgar and sick, I can't believe it made it passed the censors."

"Pippi is a sarcastic narcissist. His off-color sense of humor and loudmouthed persona are what make the character so endearing. You can't help but be pulled into his mischief. He's a great counterpart to the well-mannered Pikachu as well. Oooo! Pocket Monsters PiPiPi * Adventures is coming on two hours from now! Sweet!"

Solana rested her chin on her fist. "So full of childlike wonder."

Lunick started humming the theme song, tapping his hands on his thighs before doing the one dance Solana just could not stand – the Cabbage Patch.

"Booyah! A new ep!"

Solana rolled her eyes slightly, only half watching the program with him. Most of the time she spent just looking at Lunick, who was still glued to the television screen. She marveled at his slick yet slightly messy medium-length hair, a long fringe side-swept over the left side of his face and neatened up at the sides. As Lunick got older he let his Prussian blue hair grow out and added some teal highlights to compliment Solana's hair and also to honey his barnet a bit. The sleek sun-kissed finish made him look quite suave and fetching. She admired his dimples, which managed to keep his boyish charm while still showcasing the maturity of his facial features. She started mentally undressing him, pulling off his sleeveless T-Shirt and cargo shorts. She imagined running her hand over his chest, tracing the lines of indentations. A satisfied grin spread across her face as she imagined kissing him on his lips, then on his neck, then on his chest. Her smile widened when she imagined kissing him in other places and doing other things with him as well. She had told herself that she would wait. That the 'baddest' things were worth waiting for. But now, staring at him, watching him and taking in all the things she loved about it, she wasn't sure if waiting to do those things were necessarily what she wanted.

There he was, watching his silly subliminal cartoon. With her he let his guard down. He didn't care if it was viewed as uncool to watch them. He was full of childlike joy and she learned there could never be too much of that.

"No way!" Lunick shouted and he stood up from the couch and pumped his fist. "Another new episode?! Aw, sweet! So cool! It's not only a marathon, it's a premiere!"

"Alright, mister cartoon nostalgia enthusiast. Go on and click on over to the TV Guide channel while it's on commercial."

Lunick flipped a couple channels over. "Okay?"

"Okay, it looks like your show is going to be on all the rest of tonight. Why not DVR it and watch it later when we get off. We've only got so much time left before we have to go back to work and I intend to spend it enjoying myself some more."

"Sure, 'Lana," he said as he turned off the power without any further hesitation. He sat down and turned to her expectantly.

"You're not gonna record it?"

Lunick rewrapped his wrist with an ace bandage.

"Nah. Most likely it'll be on again tomorrow. I wanna spend my time with my bon-diggity GF."

Solana smiled.

"So, do I have to guess what you wanna do or –"

She cut him off as she leaned forward and brought him in for a kiss. Moments later, she had him pinned down on her sofa, kissing him hard. Lunick lost himself in the moment, enjoying the kiss immensely. He felt her body molding into his, more surface area coming into direct contact with each other. Only problem was this sort of contact usually yielded an involuntary response, one that Solana couldn't help but notice.

Lowering her hands from around his neck, Solana started pulling off Lunick's shirt. In no time she had it off of him and onto the floor. Lunick rose up and pushed her back down. He returned the favor, unbuttoning her pink blouse and pulling it down her shoulders, dropping it beside them on the floor. His hands glided over her legs as he kissed her gently on her neck, planting a few quick kisses before reconnecting his lips with hers. His hands drifted down and cupped her backside as they continued to kiss each other fiercely.

Lunick then realized that it wasn't her usual cotton panties he was feeling. He broke the kiss and sat up.

"What's wrong?" Solana breathed out.

Lunick scrunched up his face in confusion.

"Uh…I dunno. Somehow this doesn't feel the same."

Smiling coyly, Solana lifted her skirt up just enough that Lunick could see what she was wearing.

Lunick's eyes went wide when he saw that Solana was wearing light pink lace underwear. There was a blue bow on the front.

Lunick slowly recoiled his hands. He was actually touching her bare skin.

"Uhhhh…" he uttered nervously.

Solana took his hands and placed them back on her hips.

"You like?"

Lunick still stared in shock at the semi see-through lingerie.

"I…You…When did you?…" He stammered as his hormonally charged brain tried desperately to process what was happening.

Solana's smile widened. "They're for you. Just for you."

His overloaded synapses barely registered what she was saying. Solana took his hands and placed them back on her derrière. Lunick's eyes finally shifted back up to Solana's eyes but his mouth still hung opened. His brain still had trouble processing exactly what was happening.

Solana then placed her hands behind his head and brought him down for a kiss. She felt Lunick's body shudder and she inched her fingers into his cargo shorts, pulling them down slightly.

Lunick suddenly jumped off of her.

"Ah! Wha?…What?!…Huh?!" He grasped at his head and started pacing the room.

Solana sat up. "Lunick, what's wrong?"

Lunick couldn't keep still. He continued to move about the room in a panic.

"I…What…What is happening? What are we doing?! Am I dreaming?"

"No, you're not dreaming."

Solana quickly got off her sofa and ran to Lunick's side. She placed her hands firmly on his shoulders.

"Lunick, look at me."

Lunick turned back to face her, then he yelped and closed his eyes shut.

"Ah! You're not wearing a shirt! Put back on your shirt!"

"Lunick, you just took off my shirt. You've seen me shirtless before."

"No, you're wearing lingerie. It's wrong! I can't…I shouldn't!"

Solana grabbed his face and pulled him towards her.

"Lunick, look at me."

Lunick still refused to open his eyes.

"Baby, look at me."

Hesitantly, Lunick opened his eyes. He saw Solana's ruby eyes staring directly into his.

"Calm down." She said smoothly. "Take a deep breath, and calm down."

Lunick took a deep breath. Then he took two more. He reopened his eyes and still saw Solana staring at him. She took his hands from over his ears and held them in her hands.

Lunick finally allowed himself to look back down at Solana. She was still wearing the bright turquoise bra and her yellow skirt, though it hung loosely on her hips.

Lunick closed his eyes again and screamed, startling Solana.

"Lunick, what is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?!" he cried. "Solana, this so isn't like you!"

"I'm not ashamed in front of you, Lunick."

"Ashamed? This isn't about shame! This is about integrity! What's going on with you? Why are you behaving this way? This isn't you. This isn't you at all!"

Plusle and Minun ran in through Solana's pet door and into the living room. They could hear Lunick screaming from outside and grew concerned.

He risked opening his eyes and looking at her, sensing that she wasn't going to start undressing again.

"You've always been the sweetest, most innocent and self-respected girl I've ever known. But these last couple of weeks it's felt like you're constantly trying to seduce me. I always thought I'd be the one with my tongue wagging and that you'd have to be the one to constantly keep me at bay. But it seems to me that if I said the word, we'd be under the sheets inside of two seconds. I hate to say it, but you're becoming a different person to me. And that scares the hell out of me! This is not the girl I fell in love with."

Solana crinkled her brow. "What are you saying, Lunick?"

"I'm saying you're not acting like yourself. This hypersexual side of you, I've never seen before. Being sexy is one thing, but you're behaving in an almost perverted way. I thought being in love was something totally different from just rushing to see how fast we can have sex. It's more than just romance, it's about caring deeply for another person. You're acting like Anya, and all those other horny fast girls who chase after guys. You're acting like…like…"

"Like what?"

"Like a slut! You're acting all slutty. You're not the sweet, self-respecting girl I've worked with for the past seven years."

Solana eyes were wide with disbelief. Tightening her jaw, she walked away from him and snatched her blouse off of the floor, covering herself with it.

Lunick instantly regretted what he said.

"Solana –"

"Get out…" she squeaked, not facing him.

"Solana, I didn't mean –"

Solana spun around fast and pointed to her front door.

"GET THE HELL OUT!" She screamed. She grabbed several pillows from her sofa and threw them at him. "Get out! Get out, get out, get out! GET THE HELL OUT MY HOUSE!"

Shielding himself from the barrage of pillows, Lunick grabbed his shirt and ran out the door, all feeling rushing out of him.

"Mai Mai!" his pokémon yelled as he chased after him.

Plusle stood there in complete shock. She looked up to her human.

Solana didn't even go to close the door. Seething, she plopped down on her sofa and crushed the pillow she was holding to her chest, the tears streaming down her face and burning her eyes.

* * *

"I can't believe I let you talk me into coming here," Solana grumbled, her knees pulled up to her chest. She was dressed back in her Ringtown Ranger uniform. She had ridden to the lake with Leilani under protest, wanting to wallow in her sorrow at home. The only reason she agreed to come at all was because she knew she had to get back to work and wanted to avoid all the uncomfortable questions from Spenser about why she didn't come in today.

"Well for one thing, you still haven't told me what this fight of yours was about?" Leilani said as she sat beside her friend. She was really worried about her. Solana was capable of some strong emotions but she was never one to cry, at least not to this extent.

"What else is there to say? I somehow actually managed to chase away the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"Whoa, there. Back up. I thought you two just had a little spat. What's this 'chasing him away' thing?"

When Solana didn't answer, Leilani got suspicious.

"Girl, what did you do? Spill!"

"Go ahead. Rub it in with an 'I told you so'. I deserve it."

"Solana, I don't want to rub anything in. I just wanna know what happened. You didn't…?"

When Leilani saw the sad, disappointed look in her friend's eyes, she knew she got her answer.

"Solana, I thought we agreed you were going to talk to him first?"

"I tried. I just couldn't think of the right time."

"How about before stripping down into your undies?"

Solana sighed. "I just wanted to make him happy, Leilani. Do the kind of things that make guys happy. Show him how much he means to me. I made up my mind I was ready take our relationship to another level. I was ready to make love to Lunick tonight."

"It's not tonight yet, Solana. What happened, what did you do?"

"I didn't get a chance to do anything. We were just making out like we usually do. When Lunick asked why it felt different this time, I showed him the lace underwear I was wearing. The one you bought me. And he started freaking out and said some terrible awful things about me."

"Lunick Kaneko saying terrible awful things…to you? I can't believe it. Are you sure that's what happened or was it his mouth getting ahead of his mind?"

"Leilani, he called me slut and said I was behaving like Anya."

Leilani was silent for a moment. "Dayum! Are we talking about the same Lunick here?"

"Yes, he actually said that to me."

"The same Lunick who completely freaked out at the thought of you wanting to kiss him a few months before you got together? The same Lunick who's been trying so hard to make sure he wasn't going too far with you even when you first started dating? The same Lunick who nurses you back to health time and time again whenever you get sick and insists that you two sleep in separate beds whenever one of you spends the night to avoid any and all hanky-panky? I never would have thought the same guy would freak out again just because you want to jump his bones."

"How can you be taking his side on this?"

"Who said I was? Maybe I need to go find him and lay a serious smack-down on him for you. How dare he say that kind of thing to a nice girl like you, making it seem like you're nothing but a loose hussy. You are the paragon of womanly virtue, the sweet girl-next-door that every young man desires. How dare he?"

Solana's glare could cut through steel.

"See, no wonder he's freaked. The Solana he fell in love with, the one's he's pined for isn't some sex-Glameow. She was a sweet, innocent self-respecting girl who hardly kissed anyone, and only ever kissed a boy for real when she realized how much she was in love with him. And she was quick to put anyone in their place who dared to challenge her otherwise. Now you've gone from that to wanting to strip down and get into bed with him? He's not the only one who's freaked. Have you taken a look in the mirror lately?"

Solana looked away from Leilani and stared at the soft ripples in the pond.

"Tell me, Solana, in his exact words, did he call you a slut? Or did he say you were acting slutty?"

"What's the difference? He still called me a slut and he said I was like Anya. If he saw Aria for who she truly was, he'd likely to have call me her too."

"The difference is calling you a slut means he believes you are sleeping with a bunch of guys. It's a cruel, nasty insult, and if he said that then he deserves a beat-down as much as you do. Now what did he say?"

Solana paused before answering. "He said I was acting like a slut. That I was acting all slutty."

Leilani nodded, her point starting to sink in to her friend. "Okay. Points off for Lunick for picking a nasty way of saying it, but he was being honest with you, which is a lot more than I can say you were being with him. You were scaring the crap out of him, not just because he's not used to getting that kind of attention, but because he didn't recognize you anymore. Why did you want to have sex with him? Why are you craving this so badly?"

"Making love, Leilani."

"Don't sugarcoat it. Doesn't matter what you call it, it's still sex. Why do you want to do it so badly? Is it because you love him and want to show him?"

"Yes."

"Is it because he's such a hot sexy stud and you want him so bad you can't take it?"

She took a few moments to answer. "Yes."

"Well there you go. That's it."

"What's it?"

"You want to seal the deal. You want to prove your love to him."

"But I do want him, Leilani. I've told you that."

"You did. And I believe you. Sure you do. Of course you do. But that's not why you're behaving this way. You're just as confused as he is. You've been telling me you have no idea why you want to sleep with Lunick so badly. But the more I think about it, the clearer it is to me. You want to prove yourself to Lunick. That you want him and only him. You see the great lengths that Lunick goes to to prove himself to you, the grandiose display of his love, from the gigantic, romantic picnic where he gave you that Luvdisc and Alomomola ring when he asked you to be his girlfriend, to the promise necklaces with your freaking birthstones on a beautiful moonlit night when he declared that he was one step from proposing to you but didn't have the funds. Do you see where I'm getting at? I mean Lunick's a goofball, but he is a slammin' romantic and everything he does carries a whole boatload of sentimental meaning. You're trying to match his ambition by proving to him that you love him just as much if not more by giving him your precious gift. Your delicate flower. I know you love him, Solana, I do. But Lunick isn't that kind of guy, and you know it. You're scaring him. That is why I said to talk to him. If Lunick doesn't know what's going on, how is he going to want to have any part in it? Talk-to-him. Who knows? Maybe he wants to have sex just as badly as you do. But if he doesn't know what you want, and how you feel, he's not gonna jump in. He needs both his feet firmly planted on the ground before he's gonna risk doing something he may think has even the slightest chance of making you unhappy. Okay? Talk to him. I cannot stress that enough.

"Now, about this Anya cut? Forget it. It's a cheap shot but it's nothing but air. He was stressing and didn't know what was going on so he pulled out the closest thing he could think of to describe your behavior. Had he been in control of his thought processes he would not have said that, especially considering he knows what Freddie and Anya have gone through in their relationship. He knows why Anya became that way and he knows Freddie doesn't feel the same way. So, forget it. It doesn't mean anything. You just focus on trying to get Mr. Right back."

Solana held knees close to her chest and rested her head on her knee caps.

"I don't think he'll want to see me again after this fiasco."

"Oh, I'm sure he does," Leilani said as she typed a message on her styler. "I know he does."

* * *

"You did what?" Freddie asked dubiously as he watched his friend incredulously. He had taken the afternoon off to take Niema to the dentist, but he was surprised to see Lunick arrive just when he was about to clock out. Lunick had remained silent throughout most of the day, letting Freddie tend to his daughter but now that they were back home, he had some questions about this supposed blowout that happened between him and Solana. Especially since he seemed numb the entire time he was with him. Lunick was ordinarily a cheery guy. Seeing his sullen demeanor was a more than unsettling.

"I messed up, man." Lunick said dejectedly, "I lost the girl of my dreams."

"What happened?"

"It all started out fine. Solana and I were messing around like we usually do. Then she showed me the lingerie she was wearing underneath her clothes…And I totally lost it. I completely freaked. And I called her some awful things."

"Wait, you mean Solana wanted to sleep with you?"

"I think so. I don't really know what was going on. It all happened so fast. One minute we're hanging out watching TV, the next Solana's in nothin' but lacey underwear."

"And you didn't want to have sex? That's what the fight was about?"

"I don't know what I wanted. I just know my girlfriend went from innocent Skitty to seductive Liepard in two seconds and I didn't know how to handle it. I was stupid. I called her some awful things."

"What did you say?"

Lunick closed his eyes and paused before responding, as if recalling what he said was too painful to repeat.

"I told her she was acting like a slut…That she was behaving like…Anya…"

Freddie was silent, then he slammed his hands on the table.

"You did what?! Are you a complete idiot?"

"I didn't mean to bring Anya up. I wasn't thinking straight. Solana was practically naked in front of me. I didn't know what was going on."

"Man, I'm not talking about Anya. I'm talking about you calling Solana a slut. Or telling her she was acting like one. There are three things you never call a woman. You don't call her a bitch, you don't call her a slut, and you don't call her crazy. Why the hell would you say something like to Solana? She's is nothing like Anya."

"I know. I'm a jerk. I'm a hapless, stupid buffoon and Solana deserves way better than me."

Freddie was silent for a while trying to figure out the best way to approach his friend so it didn't sound like he was attacking him for what he said.

Lunick sniffled. "I screwed up, man. Solana's never gonna wanna talk to me ever again."

Freddie sat back down at his table.

"Give Solana some credit. She's not a one-and-done kind of girl."

"You didn't see the anger and hurt in her eyes when I left. I'm pretty sure she's done with me."

"So, you're saying you two broke up?"

"…I guess so…"

"Okay. Let's back up a bit and talk this through. The things you said to Solana, were they things you said with the intention to hurt her?"

Lunick's head snapped up as his eyes met with Freddie's.

"What, of course not! I would never say anything to upset or hurt Solana."

"Were the things you said the truth?"

"Well…I guess…in a way. But I shouldn't have –"

"Then it needed to be said. I admit, it was a very poor choice of words on your part. But still, what you said was your truth. She was making you uncomfortable. She was scaring you. That's not something to just sweep under the rug, or say you're a punk because you don't think you're ready to comply with such a big request. Honesty is the first foundation of a relationship. You had to tell her how you felt in that moment, even if it may not have been what she wanted to hear. But you know what I don't hear that either of you said? Neither one of you said 'it's over'. Neither one of you said 'I'm breaking up with you'. You guys had a fight, yes, but I think it's one the two of you had to have. You both were gonna have to talk about sex eventually and maybe this fight was the catalyst to start you guys down that serious conversation. I'm not gonna say Solana was wrong to want to have sex, the same way I'm not gonna say it's wrong for you not to feel ready to have sex. That's between the two of you and what you both need and want. It also proves that both of you are just as confused and scared as the other and that you're treading unknown waters for the first time in your relationship. Both of you are good, moral people. You've shared a life that is nothing short of intense and you've remained best friends through all of that and a powerhouse couple. Stuff like that changes us."

Lunick's eyes lowered and he sighed. "I just didn't think we'd have to have that conversation. I thought we were both on the same page. And I didn't think I'd have to ask for advice about it."

"Well, you were wrong. And it's okay, Lunick. Just remember that no matter how strong you are, no matter how strong Solana is, there is nothing wrong with asking for help. There's nothing wrong with needing help. We weren't meant to go through life alone. You've got friends like me, Percy, Murph, Leilani, even our Area Leaders and your parents. Even Minun. We're all here to help you. Don't ever forget that, and don't discount what we can do for you. You know that better than anybody. And you've said the very same thing to me."

Minun rubbed Lunick on the leg, trying to console his human.

Lunick looked at him and picked him up, putting him in his lap and petting him on the head.

"Thanks, buddy."

"Mai Mai!"

Freddie took out his styler and started typing.

"You know what I'm gonna say, right Lunick? You're gonna have to face her."

Lunick frowned and sighed again. "I don't think Solana wants to see me at all today."

"I'm not sure that's the case." Freddie said as he put his styler down. "But there's only one way to find out?"

Standing up, Freddie took his jacket off of the back of the chair and put it on.

"Niema, put on your shoes, honey. We're going to the park." He called.

In no time, little footfalls could be heard coming down the steps in Freddie's house at fast speeds.

"Yayyy! I get tah go to da park!"

She struggled to put on her Mary Janes as she raced to the front door.

"Come on, Daddy! Come on!"

Stepping on the heels of her shoes, she grabbed her frilly jean jacket and ran outside.

Chuckling, Freddie took his keys from the key hook in the kitchen and rested a hand on Lunick's shoulder.

"Come on, man. Let's go get your lady back."

* * *

"Leilani, I've got to get back to work. Spenser's gonna get suspicious if I don't show up, I've been gone for four hours."

"Not until you get this thing resolved with Lunick."

"Leil, I don't know if he's ever going to want to talk to me ever again."

"Don't speak too soon, girl, 'cause I see someone matching his hairdo in his uniform coming this way right now."

Leilani nodded to the approaching teenagers.

Standing up, Leilani met the two boys. Solana remained seated on the grass, not wanting to face him.

"Thanks for coming, Freddie."

"No problem. I wasn't just gonna sit around and let this one mope around all day."

Niema pulled on her father's arm. "Daddy! Swing time! Swingy swing, now!"

Freddie chuckled. "Alright. I'll catch you guys later, okay?"

"Okay. Bye."

Freddie followed his daughter to the swings on the playground further down.

Leilani turned back to Solana. "I'm gonna head back to the base, Sole. I anticipate a call from Cameron any second now and I don't want to give him an excuse to yell at me. Call me if you need to talk, okay?"

Solana nodded slowly.

Leilani turned back around to Lunick. Her eyes hardened and she poked him in the chest and whispered to him.

"If you _ever_ say something like that to my girl again, you're gonna really feel my wrath, buster. You thought I was mad at you before? Billy and Gordor will seem like inferior pests, nothing more than schoolyard bullies when I'm through with you. Got it?"

Lunick gulped.

"Yeah. Got it, Leilani." He replied nervously as she left them alone.

Lunick looked back at Solana, who was staring back at him with the same sad, longing eyes. He walked over to where she was sitting and sat down beside her, one leg propped up and the other underneath so he could face her. Plusle and Minun had left them as well to give them some much needed privacy.

A few moments of silence passed between them.

"I'm sorry," they said simultaneously.

"Solana."

"Lunick."

They both paused again, not wanting to talk over the other.

Chancing that she wasn't going to end up talking over her again, Lunick began.

"Solana, I'm so, so sorry for saying you were acting like a slut. I never should have said that. It was hurtful and stupid. I can't apologize enough for my mangled and inappropriate way of saying how I felt. And if I ever did anything to lead you on to make you think I was ready and wanted to have sex, I sincerely apologize."

"Lunick, no. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I never should have just sprung that on you like that. I should've talked to you before about it. I wanted to. I just…didn't know how to."

Lunick's eyes lowered for a fleeting second before meeting with Solana's eyes once again.

"Solana, why were you wearing that?"

"To be honest, I'm not really sure myself. Leilani bought it for me some time ago and I guess I just wanted to see how it would feel to wear them when I was with you."

"Wait, Leilani bought you that underwear? She wanted us to –"

"Oh, no no no no no! Leilani had nothing to do with it. It was all me. She bought me the underwear but that was really just to increase my confidence."

Solana paused before continuing.

"Why were you freaking out?" she asked calmly. "You've seen me in my underwear before?"

Lunick's chest felt tight. He swallowed hard as he tried to answer his girlfriend.

"Solana…you were wearing lingerie."

"And?"

"…I've never seen you in that before…"

"But why is it freaking you out?"

Lunick blinked several times.

"I…I don't know…I-I wasn't expecting to see that."

"The underwear?"

"The lace," he answered. "The thin fabric, the transparency. I didn't know what was going on…I wasn't prepared to see you like that. I know I've seen you in your underwear before but that…that one article of clothing has such a drastically different undertone. Solana…why did you put it on? Why did you show it to me? Be honest."

"I don't know." She quietly replied. "I just wanted to make you feel special tonight."

"I told you, you don't have to do anything for me."

"But you've done so much for me. Is it wrong that I want to show you just how much you mean to me?"

Lunick stared at her in her eyes for a long time.

"Solana, did you want to have sex?"

Solana turned back around to face him.

"Not necessarily. I just wanted to do more than we were doing before."

"What all did you want to do?"

"What do you want to do?"

"I have no idea." Lunick breathed out, "I just don't want us to move too fast."

Solana crossed her legs. "What are you ready for, Lunick? Tell me what you feel that you need."

"Need? Solana, I don't need anything. I have you. So long as we're together, I don't need much of anything else."

"But you do. You have sexual wants and needs just like any other person."

"That doesn't mean I have to act on them."

"I just wanted to make you happy."

"Whatever made you think I wasn't happy? Solana, I love you just the way you are. I love us just the way we are. You don't need to do anything to make me happy or prove yourself to me? If I ever gave you that impression, I'm truly sorry."

"No, Lunick. You didn't. The truth is…I've been having a lot of thoughts about you. About us…About what it would be like if we did go all the way and didn't stop ourselves midway. Remember when I told you a couple weeks ago that you weren't the only one getting stimulated from the photo shoot? Well, Lunick, I feel like that every day. Yes, I did want to prove myself to you. But Lunick, you are also so sexy. My God…Now I know what the other girls mean when they call you man candy."

Lunick chuckled. "Man candy? Me?"

"Yes, you. Can't you see it?"

"To be honest, I just see me when I look in the mirror. I have no idea how attractive I may or may not be to other people because it doesn't really matter to me."

"Well, I'm telling you, you're sexy. You're so irresistible. It's so hard to keep myself in check. That's part of the struggle too. You're so titillating."

Lunick chuckled again. "Wow. Well, thanks, 'Lana, I appreciate it. But the truth is…it's even more difficult for me not to be reeled in by you. You talk about me, but Babe? _Whistle_…You're the sexy one here."

Solana scoffed. "Oh, come on."

"What, are you kidding me? Solana, you're gorgeous! You're so gorgeous, I can't say that enough. It's just objective fact. And you're sexy. Very sexy."

"Come on, Lunick. I know I'm not as…well-endowed as some of the other girls, like Leilani or Shauna."

"So?" Lunick said with a slight chuckle.

"So…I know I'm lacking in some areas."

"Solana, you are perfect just the way you are."

"But I'm not perfect."

"Exactly. I don't want some pin-up Barbie doll for a girlfriend. Contrary to what many of you girls think, guys don't put so much emphasis on your Hoot Hoots as you girls do."

"So, it doesn't bother you that I'm not…'blessed'?"

Lunick's expression softened slightly.

"Solana, what's the first thing I look at when I look at you?"

"…My butt?"

"Well…yes…But besides that. When your back is not facing me, what's the first thing I look at?"

"My eyes."

"Right. You have the most beautiful eyes. The most beautiful gorgeous face. I can stare at your face all day and never get tired. Now…that's not to say I don't appreciate your other…assets.

A slight smile spread across his face as his eyes shifted lower. His hand leaned forward slowly, making like he was reaching for her collar with his outstretched finger while he was actually aiming lower. She quickly swatted it away.

"I enjoy looking at the whole package." His hands drifted down to their familiar spot on her bum. "So, if you're concerned that you don't have the full shipment, believe me, your parcel is abounding. Your modest C-Cup is up to standards. And as far as I'm concerned, you are very 'blessed'. Maybe someday in the future I can prove to you just how much I enjoy your…endowment."

"I guess…Waaiiit…How did you know I was a C-Cup?"

"Uh, I've seen you without a shirt, Solana? Plus, you've left some of your unmentionables at my house a handful of times. The label isn't discreet."

"Mhmm," she moaned suspiciously.

"Honestly, Babe, you are the sexiest, most badical girl in the entire world. You say I'm hot but I'm not the most muscular guy out here, you know? No matter how much I exercise, I don't build that much in my current regimen."

"Lunick, you don't need to. Your muscles are well-defined the way they are and you don't need to beef yourself up. I don't want some bulky buff bodybuilder with bulging biceps."

"And I don't want some Playboy Lopunny, Jessica Rabbit Ditto. What do you want me to say? Do you know how hard it is for me, how much I have to will myself not to just take you in my arms every time I see you? I have thoughts that no honorable man should be having. But I can't help it. You may think I have an iron will but it's more like a loose thread ready to unravel at any minute. The only thing that's keeping me coolheaded is the fact that I'm not going to give you anything even a smidgeon less than absolute and complete respect. It doesn't matter how I feel in the end, your needs override mine any day."

"That's just it, Lunick. My needs shouldn't supersede yours. Your feelings and your desires are just as important as mine. If you're ready to have sex, then that's important for me to know and something important to consider."

"Solana, I can't say if I'm ready or not because the truth is I just don't know. I just don't want to disappoint you."

"Lunick, you're not disappointing me at all. I can't say if I'm ready either. It's all just fantasy and daydreams. I'm curious but I'm a little scared as well. Do you think we should wait until marriage?"

"You know, that's a good goal to strive for but I don't think we should beat ourselves up if we don't make it till then. I think we'll know when we're ready. We won't be confused or scared or apprehensive. It won't be awkward for us, it'll flow naturally. I think we'll know when we're ready for sex, I really do. When the time is right, we'll know."

Smiling weakly, Solana gave her boyfriend a soft kiss. The golden rays of the late afternoon filtered down through the canopy, giving everything a soft lustrous glow.

"This would've been a beautiful spot for our first time."

Lunick looked over at the glittering lake. "It's almost perfect."

"Almost?"

"Like I said, we'd know if it was the right time. If it was perfect, then it would be the right time."

Solana rested her head on his shoulder.

"Touché. I guess we should be heading back to the base, huh?"

"Yeah. I know Murph has a lot on his plate lately and it really wouldn't be fair to leave him at the base by himself. I am the temporary Area Leader after all until Spenser returns."

Solana pushed him down slightly and crawled on top of him.

"Think I can steal a few more minutes with the boss before having to go back to work?"

"I think he might be willing oblige."

Smiling, the two shared another tender kiss as the sun continued to set.


	12. Chapter 12

Leilani sighed heavily as she walked up the steps to her house. She was so exhausted from all the missions she and Percy had to complete today. It seemed like their case load was getting bigger and bigger every day.

Taking her keys out of her pack, she had barely gotten it in the keyhole when a voice called from behind.

"You're back late." The voice said coolly.

Startled, Leilani jumped back and Lucario prepared to attack. They saw Alejandro emerging out of the shadows moments afterwards.

Leilani exhaled and she held her chest. Lucario's eyes hardened slightly as he dispelled his Aura Sphere and stood beside her.

"Alejandro. You startled me."

He didn't say anything as he stepped closer to her.

"Just getting in?" he asked coolly.

Leilani lowered her hands. "Yeah, I've been really busy. These last few weeks have been kind of hectic."

She looked passed him and saw his truck parked off to the side of the road near her house.

"Have you been here all night?"

Again, he didn't answer. He eyed Leilani up and down.

"And you were working this entire time?"

"Yes. Why would you even ask that? I'm a ranger. You know I'm out a lot on missions."

"Sure you are." He replied sharply.

Leilani's eyes hardened slightly.

"Excuse me?"

"You were out with that partner of yours all night, right?"

"Percy? Yes, he's my partner. We always complete missions together."

Alejandro's eyes flared slightly and he balled his hands into fists. He suddenly grabbed Leilani's wrist and spun her around, still looking her up and down.

Leilani pulled away and freed herself from his grasp while Lucario took a defensive position in front of her.

"What is wrong with you? You can't just grab me like that! I'm not a doll!"

Alejandro made a rude sound.

"Excuse me for wondering where my girlfriend was when we were supposed to be going to the Pokéathlon to watch the pokémon race."

Leilani thumped herself on her head.

"Oh, yeah. Our date. I'm sorry, I forgot."

"You forgot?"

"I got tied up at work. My Area Leader has me going out on missions left and right."

Alejandro crossed his arms. "You stood me up."

"I assure you, it was not intentional. I've just had so much work to do."

"All that money wasted. Do you know how expensive those tickets are? Do you know what else I could have been doing with my time and money if I knew you weren't gonna show up?"

"I'm sorry. What else do you want me to say? I had to work. I can't just pick and choose my hours."

"Don't you all have shifts? Seems to me you're working the same hours every night."

"Alejandro, Percy and I are the most experienced rangers in Summerland. And it just so happens we've been having a lot of high ranked missions that the other rangers are not qualified to handle. I should've called you and told you I was working late today."

"Oh, I'm sure you would have had you remembered we were supposed to go out."

There was so much iciness in his voice Leilani thought she was going to freeze solid from his words alone.

She walked closer to him and put her hands on his chest.

"Look, I'm sorry. Okay? I'm really sorry. I'll talk to my boss in the morning and see if I can get off early tomorrow so we can hang out."

"Are you gonna compensate me for my tickets?"

Leilani was a little taken aback by the question but she answered.

"I can pay for the tickets for us to go out tomorrow, okay? I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Alejandro still stared at her with angry eyes.

"Tch. You better." He muttered as he turned around and left.

Leilani watched him get in his truck and drive off until he was out of sight.

"What is his deal?" she questioned.

Lucario just continued to stare down the path Alejandro had taken. Something about this human's aura was off and he didn't like him being around his ranger.

* * *

Solana stepped out of the elevator and saw Lunick feverishly typing on Spenser's computer.

She walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek from behind.

"Working hard I see?"

"Yeah. I gotta send this statement to the Union regarding the new stylers for the region. I attached Kevin and Mark's notes regarding the extent of the damage to the report. Hopefully everything will go smoothly and the shipment will be fast-approved."

The elevator's doors slid open again and Iyori stepped outside. She was clutching a red folder to her chest and held a glass Petri dish in one of her hands.

"Hey, Iyori," Solana said. "How was your first day?"

Iyori frowned as she approached the two of them.

"I'm…not too sure…I told your Professor everything I knew about the atmospheric conditions and pokémon recorded in space, but I am not sure I was very much help. It is difficult to read your Professor…He is quite eccentric."

Lunick smiled. "Don't worry, Iyori. The first day's always tough. Just give it some time and you'll adapt, I'm sure."

Solana nodded. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad. And Professor Hastings is a bit temperamental. But you'll get used to his laundry list of quirks. I'm sure you told him everything he needed to hear."

"What's that you got in your hand, Iyori?" Lunick asked, referring to the red folder and cell-culture dish she was clutching so tightly.

Iyori straightened up and handed Lunick the glass Petri dish. She then opened the folder and skimmed through it. There were several papers and charts inside.

"I've analyzed the notes from Solana-san's sample of the excavated rock matter and the Professor's notes and it seems to me that the results are inconclusive."

"Why do you say that?" Lunick asked.

"None of the DNA strands can be isolated. From what I can gather, the genetic code appears to be similar to that of an adult Beartric, however another pokémon's genetic characteristics appear to be in the DNA profile as well. It's bizarre. It's as if the DNA has been compromised."

"You mean like in cross-contamination?"

"I'm not sure."

Lunick looked at Solana.

"Solana?"

Solana folded her arms. "I'm offended you would even ask. I did everything by the book. There was no way the sample could have been contaminated when I collected it. Ask Murph. He was right there with me when I dug out the rock."

"Nothing in Professor Hastings' notes suggests he did anything to contaminate the sample or in Solana-san's report. However, the RFLP analysis is inconclusive and the VNTR alleles are intermixed, unable to be separated. "

Lunick handed the sterilized container back to Iyori.

"I'll have forensics analyze it back at HQ. Maybe they can isolate the individual strands better than we can. Iyori, if you don't mind. Can you contact Professor Hastings and let him know that I need his approval to send the sample back to the Union for further analysis? I'd do it myself but I'm kind of swamped here."

Iyori nodded and took the small container back from him.

"Yes, Lunick-sama."

Iyori slowly shuffled back to the elevator. Solana raised her eyebrow questioningly.

"Sama? It's –sama now?"

Lunick shook his head. "Don't read too much into it, babe. It's just a more respectful version of –san, which I've noticed she is starting to call you?"

Solana brushed it off. "No, she's just not afraid of me anymore, that's all. Least she's no longer calling you –chan."

"Solana –"

"I get it, I get it. I just don't like hearing it."

Just then, someone entered the Ringtown Ranger base. It was a young man with spiky brown hair.

"Yes? Can I help you?" Lunick asked.

The young man nodded. "You most certainly can. I been waiting by my phone for days waiting for a 'yay' or 'nay' as to whether I got the job."

Lunick scrunched up his face in confusion. "Job?"

"Uh, yeah? What's his name…Spenser, told me he'd get back to me after I handed in my application."

Lunick was still confused for a few more moments before it finally clicked.

"Oh! Wait…" he went sifting through Spenser's cabinet drawers and pulled out a large blue binder. In it were several manila folders. After flipping through a few, he pulled out one and skimmed through it.

"Leader told me you were coming in. Thomas, right? You applied to be a Pokémon Ranger two weeks ago?"

"Yes I did."

Lunick placed the folder on the table.

"I'm so sorry I haven't gotten back to you yet about your application. We've just been really busy here."

Lunick continued to flip through the pages of the packet in the folder.

"It looks like your application is incomplete."

Thomas scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, well, I filled out what was relevant. All that other stuff about job experience and field work I've never really done so I didn't really know how to answer them."

Lunick walked around Spenser's desk with the folder. "I understand. It's a pretty big packet and it can be a little overwhelming if you're not sure what to do. If you come with me maybe I can help you fill it out and we can finish the application process together."

"Thank you, Lunick."

"You know my name?"

"Yeah, don't you remember me?"

Lunick glanced at Solana and she shook her head 'no'. He took out a pen and closed one of the drawers in Spenser's desk.

"I can't say we do. Have we met before?"

Thomas grinned. "Ouch. If I didn't have so much respect for you I may even be offended by that remark. Two years ago? The newly renovated Jungle Relic? The quaking, lava and geysers spewing out of the place? There was Entei…And my sister…"

Lunick and Solana both frowned deeply.

"Oh…Jara's rescue mission…" Solana said sadly.

Thomas nodded.

"Yeah. We were messing around in the Jungle Relic and got trapped. You two were dispatched to save us. Hard to believe you would forget something like that."

Lunick shook his head. "Believe me, we never forgot that mission."

"I may have subconsciously blocked out your name, but I would never forget that for as long as I live. I'm so sorry about what happened to your sister." Solana said sadly.

Thomas shook his head. "Well, you did your best right? And you saved me? So, that must count for something."

"Still. A loss is a loss. I only wish we'd gotten there sooner." Lunick said as he approached him once me.

Thomas shrugged.

"Please. It's in the past. I don't like to think about it too much. It took me this long to finally be able to say Jara's name without breaking down all the time. Besides, that encounter is what led me to wanting to become a Pokémon Ranger in the first place. I want to help people so that they don't have to go through what my family and I did."

"I understand that pain." Lunick said as he rested a hand on his shoulder. He turned back to face Solana. "Solana, can you please hold down the fort while I go help Thomas with this application?"

"Of course, Baby."

She gave him a light kiss on the lips.

Lunick smiled.

"Thanks, Babe," he walked with Thomas to the kitchenette in the other room.

As Solana turned around to go behind Spenser's desk, the double doors to the base slid opened again. A young girl with platinum blonde hair and large blue dove eyes wearing the Ringtown Ranger Base uniform stepped inside. A Bibarel was walking beside her.

"Howdy, Solana!"

Solana turned back around and smiled.

"Hey there, Tara. Done with your mission already?"

The young girl nodded.

"Absolutely. Bibby and I wrangled up them rowdy critters and had them back in their natural habitat in no time. Right, Bibby?"

"Bair Bair!" the Bibiarel cried.

"That's great. Hopefully that fence in the Kisara Plains gets patched up so they don't escape the enclosure again."

Tara nodded. She crossed her legs and put her left hand in her pants pockets.

"So, where's the chief? I half-expected to see you two saddled up behind dis here desk smoochin' and carryin' on like you usually do."

Solana blushed and grinned sheepishly.

"We've literally never done that, Tara."

"Dere's always a first for everything. So, where is the boss?"

Solana sat down behind Spenser's desk.

"You do know Lunick's only Area Leader temporarily until Spenser returns?"

"'Course I do. But a boss is still a boss. So where is he?"

"He's in the other room helping someone with an application."

Tara's eyes stretched wide.

"Shoot, no kiddin'? We gettin' another ranger?"

"Looks like."

Tara slapped her thigh.

"Hoot now! That's great to hear. It's been a long while since someone signed up to join the crew. I don't think we've had a new recruit since…since –"

"You?" Solana finished for her.

Tara crossed her arms.

"I'm sure we've gotten more rangers since I been around."

"Not in Ringtown."

"Doesn't matter…Have I really been working here for three years?"

"Yep."

"Gosh. Seems like just yesterday you were showin' me how to use dis here styler," she held up her Fine Styler for emphasis before putting it back in its holder. "That was one experience I'd surely never forget. My how time flies."

"Mhmm."

Tara was silent for a moment before turning her attention back to Solana.

"Hey…Solana?"

Solana looked up from Spenser's computer.

"Yeah?"

"I know I'm not as high a rank as you or Lunick, and so, I don't go out and experience all the dangers that you two have. I wanted to become a ranger because of the thrill. The adventure of exploring the land and helping pokémon. But there are some serious threats out there, you know? That whole Go-Rock Squad thang, then the Shadow Pokémon takeover a few years back…That's some serious stuff…"

Solana stopped typing.

"Being a Pokémon Ranger is high-stakes job. Not everyone who goes into this profession makes it out alive. You're right, Lunick and I have faced way more dangerous, precarious and life threatening things than people who have been working as a Ranger for decades. But that's just what we've had to deal with. We signed on to be a ranger knowing all the dangers that came with it."

"Do you ever get…scared?"

"Of course I do. Tara, do you know how many times I thought I was going to die while on a mission? That Shadow Pokémon ordeal alone had me so terrified. And I almost didn't make it. But there are times when you don't have time to be afraid. You have to act or else you may not be the only one who may not survive. Basic Flight-or-Fight. Like I said, being a Pokémon Ranger is a high-stakes occupation, and at times, a great sacrifice. But if we don't put our lives on the line to protect this world…who will? Someone has to maintain order in all the regions so that trainers can travel, pokémon can thrive in the wild, and so that every living creature on this earth can live knowing they are safe from the atrocities we unfortunately have to face in this world. Yes, there are times I think, 'this person can really kill me. I can die.' Literally, all it would take is one crazy and one bullet. And it literally almost had several times now. But that's the risk we have to take to defend our region. That's what Pokémon Rangers do."

Tara was bent over on the desk, her head resting on her hand as she continued to watch Solana intensely, her large dove eyes nearly pouring into her soul.

Solana stood up and walked closer to her.

"Is something bothering you, Tara?"

Tara straightened up.

"Me, no. Just with all the recent changes, Spenser being hurt, Lunick becoming Area Leader, and the new recruit and all, it's really got me thinking just how much you two put your lives on the line every day."

"You do the same thing, Tara?"

She shook her head.

"Not like you two. Yah'll are somethin' real special. This world would be lost without yah. There were times I wondered, was it all worth it? All the things you two've gone through? But you just reaffirmed just how worthwhile it all is. I was lucky to have you as my mentor. Just promise me yah'll will be sticking around for a long while longer? I don't want to have to worry about yah'll croaking on me before I reach Ace rank as well."

Solana smiled softly and put her arm around Tara.

"Don't you worry, Tara. Lunick and I will be here for a long while to come. We won't stop until we're well past our prime."

Tara smiled back. "I'm glad to hear that."

It was then that Lunick and Thomas reentered the room.

Lunick walked up to Spenser's desk and placed the packet he held in a folder bin.

"Alrighty. Now that that's taken care of, Thomas, you are now officially a Pokémon Ranger. Welcome aboard!"

Thomas pumped his fists in the air.

"Whoo yeah! Alright!"

Lunick smiled and turned to Tara.

"Tara, back from your mission?"

"Yes, sir."

"Great. I want you to show Thomas here some of the basics. Take him in the field and show him around. Show him some of the features of the styler and a few basic steps to make a capture."

Tara howled.

"Whoo doggie! Now that's what I'm talking about! Showing the new kid the ropes!"

Lunick stepped behind Spenser's desk and took out a Trainee Styler.

"Aren't you like, fourteen?" Thomas questioned.

Tara crossed her arms.

"I am a full-fledged Pokémon Ranger, sir. My age is irrelevant."

Thomas turned to Lunick.

"Can't one of you two teach me?"

"Tara's a fantastic ranger, Thomas. She won't steer you wrong."

He held out the small styler but before Thomas could take it Tara had it in her hands.

"I'll take that. I'm deducting points off your score for your sass, rookie. For every snarky comment that comes outta yer mouth, you'll lose one point."

"Score? What score? What are you talking about?"

"That's two points, rookie."

"What?"

"Three points."

"How can you –"

"Four points, plus two for tone and one more for body language. Keep dis up rookie and you'll fail before you even start."

Thomas was completely addled by Tara's behavior.

Putting the styler in her pack, Tara walked behind him and started pushing Thomas out the door.

"Hop to it, rookie. We haven't a moment to lose. Bibby and I will have you trained real good before the day it out."

"Bair Bair!"

"See yah later, boss!"

And with that, she was out the door.

Lunick chuckled lightly.

"Boss? What is up with her?"

"She's just being herself," Solana said with a slight giggle.

* * *

Treecko was quiet as she made scratch marks on the floor of her den with a small twig. She hadn't left her den for moons, not because she was not allowed, but because she was honestly too afraid. She tried to pay attention to her pa's lectures but she just couldn't get her mind to focus. She was still thinking about the encounter they had with the scary pokémon moons ago. He had been called to settle a dispute between the Arbok and Tropius in the evergreens and she was left in the care of her mother.

Lopunny carried a bouquet of berries wrapped in a palm tree leaf over to Breloom.

"Here you are, Breloom. These herbal berries should help heal the abrasions on your claws. I've also made a special elixir for your young one's clipped frills. Just soak your claws in the Durin and Ganlon berry's juices and then sand off the calluses. The Hondew Berry will also help to ease the pain."

The female Breloom took the wrapped berries.

"Oh, thank you Queen Lopunny. Your kindness and generosity is much appreciated." She nudged her young one lightly with her knee. "Say thank, Shroomish. Had it not been for the Queen's kindness you'd have to deal with your injury."

Shroomish swayed shyly.

"Thank you, Queen Lopunny."

"You're welcome young Shroomish." She replied with a warm smile.

Breloom grumbled, "Maybe next time you'll listen to me when I say to stay out of the thicket."

Shroomish moaned. "I just wanted to practice my fighting technique so I can become a pro like you."

"You are not a fighting-type yet, Shroomish. Your integument is not yet strong enough to handle the briery. You are to stay in the damp soil in the depths of the forest near our nesting grounds only. No venturing out passed that ever again that until you are ready on my say so. Am I understood?"

"Yes, mother."

"Good," the female Breloom looked back up to Lopunny, "Thank you again my dear Queen. We will use the remedies right away. My apologies for any trouble this may have caused you."

"Oh, it was no trouble at all. I know what it is like to have an adventurous young one always trying to get away," she glanced back at Treecko with a smile but she didn't respond.

Breloom nodded.

"Well then, we'll be off now my Queen."

"I wish you safe travels back home. The storm is particularly trying this night."

"No need to worry, Queen Lopunny. My kind is used to travel in damp conditions. Thank you again. Come along Shroomish."

The little mushroom pokémon scurried up his mother's leg and grasped onto her shoulder with his tiny feet. He burrowed himself into her frills on her neck and once she felt him secured, she hopped out of the cave down below.

Lopunny watched her until she reached the ground and sprinted away before turning back around and facing Treecko. She was still making marks on the floor of the cavern with her small twig.

Signing, Lopunny slowly walked over to her young one. She crouched on the ground beside her.

"How are you doing, dear?"

Treecko didn't answer. She just rested the twig on the ground at her feet.

Lopunny frowned. She glanced over at the pile of berries beside her.

"Treecko dear, you've hardly touched your supper."

"I'm not very much hungry, Mama," she said sadly.

Lopunny looked back at her daughter.

"Treecko, you have been sitting here in this den solemn for moons now. You have not smiled or tried to go with your father out to survey the land. You are not your sprightly joyous self. My heart is worried. What is bothering you, young one?"

Treecko didn't answer. She wrapped her large tail around herself and held it.

Lopunny continued to frown.

"Dear, are you frightened? Do you fear outside because of the strange creature?"

Treecko finally looked back up at her mother. She didn't say anything but her eyes told her the answer.

Lopunny shook her head.

"I know it can be frightening not to know what to expect. But you cannot spend your days trying to avoid all the dangers. That's just no plausible, dear. But you have nothing to fear. Your father will keep us safe. Him and all the region's elders. No harm will come to any beast in this land."

Treecko looked back up to her mother.

"But Mama, I'm supposed to take Pa's place. I'm supposed to be in charge and reign and protect the pokémon of Sekra one day…but I can't. I'm not strong enough. And I'm scared."

"Darling, you are still quite young. No beast is asking you to take on such responsibility right now."

Treecko quickly stood to her feet.

"But what if I'm never strong enough? You should have seen Pa back then, Mother. He commanded such authority and bravery. He lacked no courage. He sensed when the strange creature was approaching and engaged in battle without even batting an eye. He was unfazed and he still was able to protect his comrades and his subjects. And he was not even using his full strength!"

"I know your father is a ferocious battler. I have seen it time and time again personally. He is indeed quite the formidable foe, as strong as he is. And he is a grand leader and King. That is why you have nothing to fear, young one. He will not let any harm come to you. Your father very well still has fears, I am certain. But he is able to set aside his own alarm to protect his subjects and loved ones, as he had that day. And that is what you will learn. In time, my dear."

Treecko held her tail and sat back down.

"I do not feel I will ever be fit to be ruler. My faintheartedness is too grand."

Lopunny frowned.

There was the sound of pebbles falling outside their den and a heavily drenched Sceptile entered the den moments later.

"I have returned," he announced, shaking off the water from the heavy rainfall moments later. He saw Lopunny huddled next to Treecko, both of them frowning deeply and he grew concerned.

"Is something the matter?"

Lopunny stood up and walked towards Sceptile.

"Treecko is in low spirits. The encounter with the dark beast still has her very shaken. She hasn't eaten all day and she's questioning her direction."

Sceptile looked back at Treecko. She was curled on the floor grasping her tail.

Sceptile rest a claw on Lopunny's shoulder to calm her before walking over to his daughter.

"Treecko," he said gently once he reached her. He crouched down beside her, "Your mother tells me you refuse to eat your supper?"

"I haven't much of an appetite, Pa," she said quietly.

"We do not eat because we feel like it, we eat because we need to in order to sustain," he sat down beside her and crossed his legs.

"Much like being a leader?" she asked quietly.

Sceptile nodded slowly.

"Yes. Sometimes we cannot choose our paths. I am not King because I wanted to be but because I needed to be. I told you the story of the time of great darkness, when Sekra lost its prominent ruler. For a long while I did not feel worthy or deserving enough to fulfill such a great and prestigious role."

"How did you overcome your doubt?" Treecko asked meekly. "How did you become the leader Sekra needed?"

Sceptile smiled softly.

"I stopped telling myself I could not do it. I stopped confessing that I was not yet ready and that my Father still needed to be here to moderate all of Sekra's affairs and calm the dwellers. Your words have a lot of power, Treecko. Every utterance out of the mouth. Sometimes the reason we do not achieve the greatness we are destined to is because we plant seeds of doubt in our subconscious. They overtake our inner thoughts which manifest into our own perception and in turn control our actions. There's an old adage, 'As a beast thinketh so is he.' The more you meditate and think about something, the more power you give that thought. The more you let it set in your heart, the more you will become that very thing. If you profess that you are unworthy, fearful and not good enough, then you will be unworthy, always fearful, and never enough. If you tell yourself you are weak, you will never become strong."

"But Pa, what if I do not believe I am enough? Is it not confessing untruths in saying that I believe in myself when I do not?"

"It is not confessing untruths. It is combating the negative thinking that is trying to overtake you. It is about renewing your mind, changing your thinking. And it will take time. But if you tell yourself you will fail, then you will fail. It is that simple. Do not give power to your doubts. No creature knows the future for sure. So stop trying to make predictions. Okay, Treecko?"

Treecko looked away.

Sceptile took Treecko and placed her in his lap.

"I have no doubt you will rise and become a great leader to Sekra."

Sceptile then held up his right claw. There was something dangling from it. The sheen of the greenish gold seed glistened in the moonlit.

"And wearing this should hopefully remind you of that."

Treecko stared at it in awe.

"Pa…I…Are you sure I am ready to wear the royal necklace? I do not even battle."

"The Miracle Seed is not just a type-enhancing. It is a symbol of our sovereignty, our duty to protect Sekra. By wearing it, you show your acceptance of this role."

Sceptile hung the necklace over Treecko. It was about the width of her belly and too long for her height. It hit the ground with a slight _Ting!_

Sceptile chuckled lightly.

"You'll grow into it." He lifted the necklace off her small frame and gave her to hold in her hands. "It is late. You and your mother need to rest. So, I say we share this Pecha Berry and lose ourselves in sweet dreams tonight."

Treecko smiled softly.

Still smiling, Sceptile picked up a Pecha Berry from the pile of berries on the floor and split it in two with his claw. He then gave Treecko one half the berry. She rested the Miracle Seed down and took the berry from Sceptile, taking a large bite out of it seconds later while Sceptile popped the remaining half in his mouth.

Smiling warmly, Lopunny walked over to the entrance of the den. She covered the entrance with Giant Windowpane Palm leaves to keep out the rain. She then walked over to Sceptile and curled up next to him, resting her head on his right shoulder and closing her eyes.

Sceptile glanced down at her. He picked up Treecko and guided Lopunny to the ground to lie down. They laid down in a huddle until they all fell asleep.

* * *

A sharp crack of thunder finally woke Lunick up. He hadn't realized it but he had actually fallen asleep at Spenser's work desk while working on his papers for tomorrow's meeting. After four straight nights with less than four hours of sleep, he finally hit the wall. He didn't know being an Area Leader was such strenuous work. His respect for Spenser grew that much more when he realized that he had been doing this for over a decade.

Rain was pelting down the window of base so hard you could barely make out what was on the other side.

Lunick looked up at the wall clock. It read 2:15.

He might as well call it a night. He was going to have to get up early that morning and he needed to get some sleep so he wasn't completely knocked out when the meeting went underway.

"This is what I get for not preparing the docs beforehand. Lun-man, your mad procrastinating skills never cease to amaze."

Rubbing his eyes, Lunick gathered up his papers and organized them neatly on the desk. He noticed Minun sleeping on top of a few sprawled out papers on the desk and nudged him. Minun sat up groggily.

"Mai Mai?"

"Sorry, buddy. But I need those. Can't have you crinkling up the reports, now can I?"

Grudgingly, Minun moved from his comfortable spot so Lunick could take the papers. Lunick took up the documents and placed them in a folder on the desk. He then stood up and stretched before taking off his jacket and hanging it over the chair. Then he unbuttoned his shirt.

Yawning, Lunick rolled his neck before cracking it and massaging it, trying to work out the crick in his neck and relieve the stiffness and tension.

Just then, a loud _Bang! _suddenly sounded in the storage room. Lunick stopped rubbing his neck and looked at the door. Another loud sound came from the back room.

He looked down at Minun who shared a look of confusion and alarm. Then there was a dull _Thud!_

Lunick walked up to the metal cabinet behind Spenser's work desk where a few of the reserved stylers were kept and took out a flashlight. He motioned to Minun and together they crept towards the storage room. There was another thud.

Placing his hand on the doorknob, Lunick slowly turned it before quickly throwing the door wide open and stepping inside.

He was surprised to see Iyori standing in the room, wielding a metal bat in her hands. He completely forgot she was supposed to be staying there tonight.

"Iyori?" Lunick questioned. He flicked on the light switch and shut off the flashlight. "What are you still doing up? I thought you went to bed hours ago? You had me thinking some pokémon got into the storage supplies."

Iyori wiped at her tears with her left shoulder.

"I-I could not sleep. So many strange noises. And the storm. It all unnerves me."

"Iyori, there's nothing to be afraid of. You are safe here."

"You keep saying that but I do not feel safe here. I do not feel safe at all."

A boom of thunder rocketed through the base, terrifying Iyori and she dove to the floor. She dropped the bat and covered her head.

Lunick and Minun walked up to her.

"Iyori…"

_SCHEEE!_

"Ah! What was that?!" she cried.

Getting up, Lunick sat on the bed and lifted the blinds. A family of Golbat could be seen fleeing from the storm. A Quagsire was flopping around in a muddy pond outside of the base. It was then joined by several other Quagsire and the family started shooting round objects in the air with their Water Gun, trying to reach the full moon.

"It's just the nocturnal pokémon, Iyori." He looked back down and saw her shaking on the floor.

Lunick closed the blinds, got up from the bed and went to her side. When he reached out to touch her shoulder she quickly grabbed the bat and prepared to strike him.

"Ah, Iyori!" Lunick held up his hands and covered himself in a defensive position to prepare for the blow.

Breathing heavily, Iyori lowered the bat slightly.

"Lunick-sama…I…I am sorry…I thought you were the man…I thought you were going to kill me."

Lowering his hands, Lunick took the bat from Iyori and rested it down on the ground beside him.

"Iyori, he is not here. You are safe."

"No, I'm not! I am never safe! He will find me like he always does! He will kill me!"

"Iyori –"

"This place has no lasers, no steel barriers to protect me. The doors, the windows…they are glass! They break easily!"

"Iyori –"

"Every time I close my eyes I can see him. I can feel his hands on me. I can feel the blade across my neck."

She lifted her head and pulled down her nightshirt slightly, revealing the long gash across her chest from shoulder to shoulder.

"He did this to me! He nearly pierced my heart through!"

Lunick stared at her in disgusted shock.

"I…I can't believe I never noticed that before…"

Iyori let go of her shirt and grabbed onto Lunick's, which was still unbuttoned.

"Please, Lunick-sama, I am not safe here. Do not make me stay here. I need a sanctuary."

It really tore at Lunick's heart to see Iyori so distressed. She was terrified out of her mind.

He placed his hand on her lower arm near her elbows and brought her hands down.

"Iyori, I know you're scared. But you have to trust me. I told you, I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you. You are safe so long as I am here. I will protect you."

The tears continued to stream down Iyori's face. She had such a look of desperation on her face.

"There's a special medicine that we rangers take sometimes when we're at the base at night to help us sleep. How about I go get you that and some hot chocolate to keep you warm? It'll help calm your nerves. Get rid of your anxiety."

Iyori shook her head feverishly.

"No! No! Pills kill! Gan'yaku o korosu! Mō shinaide kudasai! Iya!" _Pills kill! Please no more!_ _No!_

Iyori grasped at her head and dug her nails into her skull. Lunick quickly took her hands back in his.

"Okay! Okay, Iyori, I won't give you the medicine. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have offered it to you in the first place. It's only for rangers anyway. Gomen'nasai. Gomen'nasai. Watashi o yurushitekudasai." _I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please forgive me._

Iyori reopened her eyes.

Lunick sighed.

"How about I at least get you the hot chocolate?"

"Do not leave me! Please!"

"I'm not leaving you. I'll still be in the base. I'll just be going into the kitchen for a sec. I'll be right back."

Lunick looked over at Minun and made a soft _Ffft! _with his mouth to signal him to come over.

Minun ran over to Lunick. Lunick glanced at Iyori and Minun nodded. He hopped in Iyori lap and snuggled up close to her.

"Minun will watch over you while I go get your cocoa. I trust Minun with my life so I know he will protect you should anything happen. But it won't. You are safe."

Iyori let go of Lunick's hands and quickly picked up Minun and held him close to her.

Lunick stood up. "I'll be right back, Iyori."

Lunick watched her carefully as he slowly stepped out of the room. He returned about five minutes later. Iyori was curled up on one of the storage room beds, holding onto Minun tightly as if he were a soft plushie.

Lunick could see Minun was uncomfortable but he knew he would continue to bare it as long as he could to keep Iyori calm.

Lunick sat down on the bed and rested the mug of hot chocolate on the nightstand.

"Here. It's widely known that chocolate releases endorphins to the brain that help you feel good. That's why it's one of the staples in comfort food."

Iyori glanced at the cup. "There are over 300 naturally-occurring chemicals in chocolate that when consumed releases several neurotransmitters into the brain, including serotonin, anadamide, and the love drug phenylethylamine.

Lunick smiled slightly. He was impressed at her immense scientific technical knowledge. "Right…Well, one of these ingredients are bound to make you feel better. Whenever Solana's feeling down I always make her a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows to lift her spirits and lower her stress. It always seems to work, though she claims it's me being by her side that helps her the most."

"She is correct. You are a great comforter. And your presence makes me feel safe. She is lucky to have someone like you in her life to care for her."

Lunick shook his head. "No. I'm the lucky one."

Lunick glanced back at Iyori. She was still holding on to Minun tightly. Then he stood up from the bed.

Iyori became fearful. "Where are you going? Please, do not leave me, Lunick-sama! Please!"

"Relax, Iyori. I'm just going over to the other bed. I need to get some sleep too."

He walked over to the other storage room bed and sat down. He started to take off his shirt when he remembered Iyori was still in the room with him.

He lied down and pulled the sheet loosely over his legs, just up to his knees.

"Do you like classical music? Does it relax you?"

"I guess...it can be soothing."

Lunick reached over to the nightstand by the bed he was lying on and tapped on the radio receiver trying to get the station that usually played various pieces from Bach, Mozart, Choplin, and Beethoven during the late night and early morning. He fiddled the dial for a bit before a string orchestra came on. Currently it was playing Beethoven's Moonlit Sonata.

Iyori smiled softly.

"I like this piece."

"Me too. Solana and I listen to it all the time. For such a sad song the melody, especially on a violin, is quite soothing."

"Dōmo arigatō. Dōmo sumimasen, arigatōgozaimashita." _Thank you very much. I'm sorry for the trouble you've taken for my benefit, thank you so much._

Lunick smiled. "Mondai nai. Shinpai shinaide." _No problem. Don't worry about it._

"Oyasumi nasai, Lunick-sama." _Good night, Lunick._

"Oyasumi, Iyori-san." _Good night, Iyori._

Lunick watched her until she finally fell asleep. Minun was curled up beside her, sleeping soundly under her right arm.

Content that she was finally at ease, Lunick allowed the classical music to lull him to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Lunick snorted slightly as a dull buzzing sound started to ring in his ears. He had been having a wonderful dream involving Solana. The two of them were on paid vacation in Orre, lounging near the waterfall in Agate Village. Lunick hadn't been to Orre himself but he had heard much about it from Solana and had looked up pictures online. It was a beautiful island and they had actually talked about traveling there for the holidays.

Solana had gotten up to stand under the waterfall, the cool water wetting her hair and framing her body so nicely. She was wearing the bikini she had shown to him several nights before and a white mesh skirt, which was pretty much translucent now that she was wet, so he was able to see the bikini bottom underneath it.

She waved at him and he smiled. Then she walked up to him, pulling him down slightly into the water before crawling on top of him. They kissed and he felt her tongue enter his mouth. His arms wrapped around her and he felt her through the soaked thin skirt. He had inched his fingers inside the hem and was just starting to pull it down when…

_BUZZZZ!_

Lunick snorted awake. His eyes half opened, he barely lifted his head.

_BUZZZZ! BUZZZZ!_

"Huh?"

That dull buzzing sound started to grow louder.

_BUZZZZ! BUZZZZ! BUZZZZ!_

Lunick blinked and opened his eyes wide and blinked again a few times to clear his vision. He stretched in the bed before wiping his face with his hands to try to remove the sleepiness. He felt a dull throbbing in his head.

Sitting up, Lunick looked around. He saw Iyori passed out in the other bed. She had woken up several times throughout the early morning, screaming and thrashing in the bed from her nightmares. Lunick tried his best to calm her but she was nearly inconsolable at times. Even Minun wasn't able to calm her like he was able to earlier that morning. It took everything he had to make sure he didn't fall asleep while she was crying her eyes out. For such a petite girl, Iyori packed quite the wallop. She could definitely carry her own in a boxing match. He had to rub an analgesic heat rub on his chest and abdomen from all her frenzied blows. But somehow, by some miracle, he was eventually able to get her to go back to sleep for good. Only it seemed that when she finally was able to sleep soundly, he wasn't. His body was hurting too much from all her punches.

_BUZZZZ! BUZZZZ! BUZZZZ!_

Lunick recognized that buzzing. It was the doorbell for the base. Someone was laying on the bell.

He swung his legs out of bed and wobbled to the door.

Opening the storage room door, Lunick flicked on the light for the lobby. He saw a blurred figure with what appeared to be an orange jacket, black shirt, green shorts and black leggings. As he got closer the figure seemed to get a little more defined.

"Leilani?" he breathed.

_BUZZZZ! _

Standing in front of the glass double doors Lunick squinted, as if he it was a struggle to see who was behind it.

The figure banged on the door.

"Lunick!"

Yep. Definitely Leilani.

Reaching to the panel to the right of the door, Lunick punched in the security code and unlocked the door. The doors instantly slid opened once the motion sensor activated.

Leilani stormed inside.

"Lunick, what the hell?! I've been standing out here for ten minutes."

Lunick yawned. "I'm sorry, Leilani. I didn't hear you."

Leilani put her hand on her hips.

"Are you just now getting up?"

Lunick yawned again. "Maybe."

"Man, do you have any idea what time it is? You should have had this base unlocked over an hour ago. What if there was an emergency and some civilian needed help?"

Lunick groggily turned to look at the wall clock in the lobby. It was blurry but he could just make out the little hand on the eight.

"Aww man…I'm gonna be late for my meeting," he said sleepily, his eyes starting to close.

Leilani arched her eyebrows.

"Lunick…How much sleep did you get last night?"

Lunick rubbed his eyes. "I don't remember…Last I checked the clock it was half past seven."

Leilani's jaw dropped.

"Are you serious?"

Lunick turned around and started wobbly walking towards Spenser's desk.

"Iyori had a tough night…Where'd I put my jacket?"

Leilani ran in front of him and held him up.

"Okay, Lunick. You need to get back in that bed and catch some z's before you fall and burst you head wide opened."

Lunick tried to walk around her but he stumbled and hit knee against the metal desk.

"Ow!" He cried as he grasped his knee.

Leilani pointed back to the storage room area.

"Bed, Lunick."

"No, Leilani," he said as he straightened up. "I have to go to that meeting in Fall City. Lind, Shauna and I have reports to discuss and information to exchange."

Leilani once again ran in front of him.

"Assign someone else to do it. You are in no shape to attend that meeting."

"I'm fine," he said shrugging out of her grasp. This time he banged his toe on the leg of the desk.

"YOUCH!" He cried out again as he grabbed his foot.

Leilani shook her head.

"You can barely see two feet in front of you. You don't get some sleep you are going to go blind and delirious."

"No, I can't have the salad hit the TV."

Leilani squinted her eyes in confusion.

"What?"

"Then the satellite will eat the house." He slurred.

Leilani stared at Lunick, mouth opened, in complete confusion.

"My God, you're already under psychosis."

Lunick held onto the desk and tried to pick his jacket up from the swivel chair.

"There you are…"

Leilani quickly grabbed him and pulled him away.

"Hey!"

"Lunick, you are going to lie down right now."

"What are you –"

"Spenser and Solana will have my head if they know I saw you like this and didn't stop you from killing yourself."

Lunick stepped aside so Leilani couldn't push him anymore.

"The Mareep will swim to space."

"Damn it Lunick, you're not making any sense! Go lie down!"

Lunick pouted and dizzily looked around the room. Seeing the bottle of water he left on the desk the previous night, he wobbled over to it, grabbed it, and doused his head and his face.

Leilani stared at him in disbelief.

"There…there," Lunick gasped as he wiped the water out of his eyes. He blinked several times and opened his eyes wide. "I'm awake…See?…I'm awake."

Leilani shook her head. "Lunick –"

"Where's my jacket?" He walked over to Spenser's chair.

"Lunick, five nights with no sleep is no joke. You're about ready to drop any second. You cannot go out like that."

"Look, I'm operating Area Leader until Spenser returns. And as such, I have to attend this meeting. No excuses."

"That won't be necessary, Lunick." A voice called from behind.

Lunick and Leilani turned back around to see Spenser enter the base.

"Leader?"

Spenser stepped inside. He looked Lunick up and down and arched his left eyebrow.

"Any reason why you're partly dressed and dripping with water?"

Lunick looked down at himself, seeing his shirt was disheveled, completely unbuttoned and wet.

"Um…I uh…I was rushing to get to the meeting in Fall City…I sorta kinda…fell behind…"

Spenser nodded his head slowly.

"Uh huh…Is, uh…Is Solana here?"

"No, Leader," Leilani answered. "She was helping a civilian retrieve a lost item in Lyra Forest but she should be on her way."

"Why would Solana?…" Lunick didn't finish his sentence when he realized what his Leader was implying with his question.

He gasped. "Leader!"

"I'm not a prude, Lunick. I'm very much aware of what my rangers do in their spare time when they are not at work, especially those who are in relationships. But I am glad to know you two have not engaged in anything and that you are able to maintain a certain level of propriety while you are here at the base."

Lunick couldn't hide the pigments of red that started to spread across his face. Leilani covered her mouth to try to muffle her giggles.

Spenser cleared his throat.

"Anyway, I am feeling much better and my physician has given me an all-clear to return to work. So, you are relieved of your duties as Area Leader, Lunick. Thank you for filling in for me while I was on administrative leave for my injuries. I knew I picked the right person for the job."

Lunick smiled weakly.

"So, I'll be needing all your reports and the files you handled while I was away. I'll also need the notes and documents for the Leaders' meeting this morning, if you'd please."

"Oh, yes. Right away," Lunick picked up the folder and binder that were on his desk and hurried up to Spenser.

"Here you go, Leader. All you need to know about the past two weeks is in there."

"Thank you, Lunick," Spenser said as he quickly skimmed through the binder. "Tell Solana when she gets here I want her to watch the base until I return."

Lunick crinkled his brow in confusion.

"You want Solana to watch the base? What about me?"

"I want you to go home and rest. You've taken on quite the load since I've been away and I can tell you need some well deserved rest."

"But I'm fine, Leader?"

Spenser looked at Leilani.

"Leilani?"

"I'll see to it that he gets home safely, Leader."

"Good."

"What?"

Spenser turned around to leave. He stopped just as the doors slid opened.

"And, Lunick?"

"Yes, Leader?"

Spenser opened his mouth to say something, but decided not to and shook his head instead before finally departing the base.

"What? He didn't say anything?"

"Oh, yes he did," Leilani giggled.

Lunick turned to faced her.

"What?"

"He said it twice. First directly, then silently."

"What are you talking abo –"

Lunick stopped midsentence and covered his face.

"Oh my gosh…"

Leilani grabbed Lunick by the hand. "Let's get you home, mister."

Lunick pulled away.

"I don't need to go home yet. I'm perfectly fine."

"I think you've been spending too much time with Solana. You're starting to adopt her stubborn 'I can do anything' attitude."

Lunick pouted once more.

Solana then walked through the base's double doors. She saw Leilani and Lunick standing in the middle of the lobby.

"Oh my goodness!" she gasped as she ran up to Lunick, "What happened to you? Are you alright?"

She held his face and looked him up and down.

"Dude-boy here's in need of some much needed rest and relaxation." Leilani answered for him.

Lunick took Solana's hands and kissed them. "I'm fine. I just need a minute to get myself together."

"I'm so confused," Solana said.

"Don't worry. I'm fine."

Leilani huffed. "Lunick, Spenser told you to go home and I told him I would get you there safely."

"Why does he need to go home? What's wrong?"

"The Beedril took a hook from the canapé." Lunick slurred.

Solana scrunched up her face in confusion.

"What?"

Leilani rolled her eyes.

"Not again."

Lunick kissed Solana gently on the cheek.

"Time to take the movie out the oven."

Solana quickly looked to Leilani.

"Leil, what's going on? Why is he behaving this way? What's wrong with him?"

"Yeah, let's put the pistachio in the pumpernickel so he can become a sailor…"

Lunick leaned and dropped to the ground with a _Thud!_

"…Owwww…" he moaned.

Solana knelt down to him while Leilani folded her arms, covered her face, and shook her head.

* * *

Bill grunted heavily as he tightened a bolt behind his gene splicing machine. As much as he loved to tinker with equipment and perform experiments, the fact that he was being forced to do this under duress took all the joy he had of building his overly complex devices. He had always thought that the tired cliché expression in those old films where the captive scientist exclaimed that the villain was using science for evil was just nonsensical rubbish. But now that he was the scientist being held captive, it took on a whole other meaning, one that Bill couldn't stand for one moment.

Feeling his wrench stop moving, Bill stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Is it done?" he heard a feminine voice call from being.

Bill glanced back irritably at her. She was dressed in a more modernized and form-fitting navy blue skirt suit, vastly different from the business pants suit she was wearing the last time he saw her. There was another person standing beside her, clad in a black leather jumpsuit with metal padding. He couldn't tell if the person was male or female because of the helmet and armor but to be honest, he didn't really care. If this person was working for this woman, they were just as bad as she was.

"Yes. It is done," Bill answered unpleasantly.

"Watch your tone, Mr. Sonezaki. Do not forget that I hold the lives of your pokémon in my hands." She walked up beside him. "Show me how it works.

Nodding, Bill walked over to the electronic table he installed. He typed in a code on the keypad and pulled a lever down slightly. As with before, many lights came to life on the machine as it vibrated and emitted several loud beeping cries. The vials in the test tube holders on the machine quickly emptied and traveled through the machine's tubing. Bill then pulled the lever back up and the machine stopped shaking. The doors on either pod slid opened and a thick haze pooled out of them. After it cleared, two pokémon were seen in either pod – a Mightyena and an Arbok.

"If you look on the monitors," Bill began, walking up to the pod containing the Arbok, "You'll see the entire moveset for the pokémon. As you can see, the Mightyena now knows Poison Fang, while the Arbok knows Sucker Punch, which will effectuate more like a priority dark-type Slam since both these pokémon don't have fists."

He pointed to the large screen in the middle. "This one shows you the pokémon's overall stats and which moves were transferred."

The woman frowned slightly.

"Aren't these moves these pokémon can learn ordinarily?"

"Well, through selective breeding perhaps." Bill shrugged, "But my goal was never to force pokémon to learn moves they would not be able to healthily execute. My goal was to have them relearn moves that were lost in their genepool for generations. I told you that from the start."

The woman folded her arms. She glanced down at the lever Bill had pulled earlier, noticing the different markings and strengths on it. There was a section marked _'DANGER! DO NOT USE!' _all the way on the last setting, followed with a hazardous and toxic symbol.

Curious, the woman reached down and pulled the lever all the way to the end.

The doors to the pods quickly closed shut with the pokémon in them and the machine started shaking violently.

"What are you doing?!" Bill cried as he ran over to the electronic table. "You can't pull the lever all the way there?! You'll overburden the machine and exhaust everything!"

"Then why include it in the panel if it wasn't meant to be used?"

Bill frantically tried to pull the lever back but it was jammed.

"I need a placeholder for all the energy in the event that the experiment goes terribly wrong!"

"Isn't that the purpose of a failsafe? I thought you were supposed to be smart?"

Bill continued to tug on the lever to no avail.

"No! Pokémon are not meant to be exposed to such high levels of radiation! There's no telling of the catastrophic effects if we don't stop this at once!"

"Radiation? I thought all your experiments were safe for the betterment of pokémon, mister Pokémon-lover?"

"Why you! –"

Before Bill could finish, there was a huge explosion. Sparks and flares fired throughout the lab. Bill coughed as he covered his head on the ground.

His eyes watering, Bill warily looked up when the shaking and explosion appeared to have stop.

Black smoke was billowing out of the pods. The monitor was flashing red as an indiscriminate distorted figure appeared on the sparking screen between the two pods.

But it was the image he saw in front of him that horrified Bill the most.

He shook his head in disbelief and fear.

"They're…They're…"

"Perfect." The woman uttered menacingly. "This is exactly what I've been seeking. What I wanted to accomplish."

"No!" Bill cried. "This is terrible! This is not the result the experiment was supposed to yield! Those poor pokémon –"

"Quiet you!" the woman demanded. "This is exactly what I have been looking for. My vision…My glorious plan for mankind. You will build me another machine with this setting as the only setting and you will create for me an army of pokémon just like what you did here today."

Bill's eyes hardened. "No."

"What did you just say, Mr. Sonezaki?"

Bill stood to his feet. "I said no! I'm not doing another heinous thing for you! This experiment…what we've done to the Arbok and Mightyena…It's unforgiveable. You asked me…no…you strong-armed me to replicate the experiment I performed back at home. But this is not the same experiment! This is…a cruel and inhumane crime against pokémon! I will not do anything else to aid you in whatever psychotic sociopathic subjugation you are endeavoring for. I'm through."

The woman's gaze hardened.

"I must be hearing incorrectly. It sounded like you were trying to relinquish yourself from your responsibilities to this project. Might I remind you that we have a verbal contract in which you very willingly agreed to do what was asked of you in exchange for the guaranteed safety and protection of your beloved pokémon. Am I to believe that you wish to void said contract and selfishly sacrifice your pokémon because you are only now starting to develop a moral compass? Be certain of your answer, Mr. Sonezaki. I will remind you once more that I do not like to play games."

Bill tried to lunge at the woman but before he could react he was being held by the collar by a gigantic floating ghost-type pokémon. That was the fastest Bill had ever seen a Trainer call out their pokémon.

"I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you did not intend to attack me just now, Mr. Sonezaki. If you were, I'm afraid Dusknoir would have no choice but to banish you to an abyss of darkness."

"Dusknoir…" it growled threateningly.

Bill struggled in its grasp.

"Don't you see what'll happen if we don't intervene? The pokémon could very well –"

"I don't care." She replied coldly. "My only concern is my vision. If you no longer wish to help me, I'll relieve you of your duties while also offing your pokémon and making the Pokémon Fan Club, the Pokémon Lover's Club, and the Fulfillment for the Melioration of Pokémon Committee aware of your despicable experiments and I'll personally be seated in the courtroom when they sentence you to 30 plus years in prison. It's your choice."

"This is extortion!"

"Call it whatever you want. Just get the job done. Otherwise, I'll not only annihilate your pokémon…"

She pressed a button on her remote and three glass containers rose from the ground. A Cleflable, a Jolteon, and an Alakazam were in all three.

Bill's eyes grew large. "No!"

"…I'll make you watch their brutal execution."

She pressed another button and several plasma laser holders lowered from the ceiling of the capsules. The pokémon were bulls-eyed with several red markers.

"No, don't! Please! I'll do whatever you want. Just please don't hurt them." Bill pleaded teary-eyed.

The woman leered at him. "Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes, yes. Please don't hurt them. I'll do whatever you want. I swear."

"Then get to work." She growled threateningly.

She pressed another button on her remote and the plasmas retracted back into the ceiling. The three containers holding the pokémon slowly sank back down into the round.

She snapped her fingers and Dusknoir instantly dropped Bill to the ground. She walked over to him and bent down, glaring at him on eye level.

"Repair the machine and resume the experiments. Dusknoir here will supervise you to make sure you don't do something that will cost us both the things we deem important. Cross me again and I will take out your pokémon and report you to the police and pokémon rangers. No more reminders, got it?"

Bill nodded his head sadly and slowly.

"Get to work." She stood back up and looked at her admin. "You are authorized to begin phase two of your directive. Go and apprehend that pokémon at once."

"Yes, Ma – er, Milady."

They bowed their heads before sprinting out of the lab.

The woman folded her arms once again.

"I have some business to take care of. But I will be watching you, Mr. Sonezaki. Make wise decisions or you will regret it."

And with that, she sauntered out of the room.

Bill sighed heavily. He looked up at the Dusknoir towering above him. It was giving him the most unholy glare with its one eye. It pointed to the damaged gene splicer with its large hand.

"Dusknoir…"

Bill closed his eyes and bowed his head in shame.

* * *

"Ohohohoho! Are you being truthful, Hastings? Did he really try to combine a Pokéball with the Pokégear?"

Hastings wiped away the tear that formed in his eye from laughing.

"I assure you what I say is the absolute truth. The man nearly blew up my lab trying to create the next big invention."

Professor Hastings' guest picked up his cup off the table and took sip of his tea.

"Then I must say I'm mighty glad you came up with the idea for the Capture Styler. The old fool. What in heavens was he thinking?"

Professor Hastings shook his head.

"I haven't a clue. I should have took it as a sign as the first indication that he wasn't of a sound mind. Maybe if I did he wouldn't be behind bars now."

"Now Hastings, no need to start your bellyaching on that matter again. Gordor was a grown man and was fully aware of the immorality and consequences of his actions. That he strayed from the path that you both were on is not your fault. He was an old fool. You'll be one too if you keep blaming yourself for his wrongdoings."

Professor Hastings sighed.

"I suppose you are right. Perhaps I am not one hundred percent over what happened to us. He could have become so much more if he'd only humble himself. But, as the saying goes, no use crying over spilled Moomoo Milk. As in my case, the milk happens to be a fallen colleague. Life goes on and I will survive. At the very least I have a few less things on my plate now that Murph here has agreed to take over the Pokémon Representative position for me."

The other man nodded and looked to Murph.

"I hope you are taking this new responsibility seriously, young man. I know Robert here makes it look easy but being the Union's chief representative is a rather trying job. "

"Hey now, no need to worry the boy. I have nothing but complete confidence that Murph will carry on my legacy magnificently. Right, lad?"

"Right…" Murph said softly as he wrote in his journal. He wasn't even sure if he was up to the task at this point, but so long as Professor Hastings trusted him, he was going to do his utmost to please him.

"Legacy? A bit early to be boasting about your great deeds to the Union, isn't it?"

"Of course not. I am the Union's first and only chief, not to mention head of technology. There is no other before me. I've set the standard, which might I add is greatly high. I've made quite the contribution to the Pokémon Ranger profession."

The other man chuckled. "Old fool."

Just then, Solana and Lunick entered the Fall City Ranger Base with Plusle and Minun perched on their shoulders, respectively.

Professor Hastings waved them over.

"Solana, lass. Lunick, my boy. Come over here, why don't you?"

Solana and Lunick walked over to them.

"Hey, Professor. It's been a long time since I've seen you in this base." Said Lunick.

"Yes, well, I've been quite busy back at the lab. As I hear it, you tired yourself out quite a bit while you were filling in for Spenser. Nearly fainted in the base?"

Lunick chuckled.

"Yeah, well, I got my rest. I'm ready to work again. Just came to drop off a letter from the Union. It was mailed to Ringtown by a mistake."

"I'll take that," Professor Hastings said as he outstretched his hand and took it from Lunick. "Probably the Chairperson writing me back."

"So you're the young man who substituted for Robert's prime student and operated the Ringtown Ranger Base in his stead?" the other man asked.

Professor Hastings nodded.

"Solana, Lunick, I'd like you to meet Lamont Spendidocious. He was one of my best friends growing up in Almia and an important member of the Ranger Union. He's visiting Fiore on business."

"Hello, Sir." Said Solana.

"Nice to meet you," Lunick followed.

Mr. Lamont smiled and nodded.

"Nice to meet you as well. I've heard great things about you both. Fiore's esteemed heroes. I must say, it fills me with joy to see young rangers like yourselves doing your part to protect your region. I had dreams as a little lad to teach young people like you about Pokémon and how to preserve and protect nature. And seeing that dream come to fruition is the single most greatest moment of my life…Well…partial fruition, I should say. I also dreamed of setting up a Pokémon Ranger School akin to the Pokémon Trainer School for those kids that wish to become something other than a Pokémon Trainer. But alas, that portion of my dream has not come to pass. It would seem I'm the only party whose dream has not been fully realized as my cohorts both seem to have done greatly for themselves and achieve theirs. But all things in due season, I suppose. Poor timing means poor reward, after all. Had it not been for Robert's driven nature to develop the Capture Styler and Erma's yearn to set up the Pokémon Ranger Union, you young ones might not have a career now."

Solana and Lunick were both impressed.

"Is that true, Professor?" asked Solana.

Professor Hastings shook his head.

"Monty is blowing things way out of proportion. We all simply had a vision and a goal set in our hearts and we did what we needed to in order to make those dreams a reality. We made a pledge to see our dreams through to the very end. Really we had the simple tasks. Tinkering with technology was a cinch for me and Lamont loved pokémon more than life itself. I dare say Erma was the one who had the steep mountain to climb in endeavoring to become an entrepreneur and start an unheard of career path for individuals. How is Miss Tanaka doing nowadays, Monty?"

"She's doing well, though I am sure she is waiting for you to ask her yourself." He replied.

"Erma knows my many obligations. I haven't the time to dally even for a moment."

"But is that not what you are doing now?" he quipped.

Professor Hastings stammered, "Well…I, er…I'm not…I just…"

Mr. Lamont suddenly burst out laughing, annoying Professor Hastings.

"Oh, you old coot!"

Mr. Lamont once again picked up his cup of tea.

"Old fool…" he said as he took a sip. He turned back to face Lunick. "What I was trying to say, young man, before I got sidetracked, is that I am most pleased with you. Being an Area Leader is not an easy task and I'm glad to see a young person step up and deal with the challenges to help their Leader."

Lunick smiled and nodded.

"Well, thank you, Mr. Lamont, sir. Being an Area Leader is my dream so even though I was glad and more than willing to help my Area Leader, it also did well to provide me with some real experience in doing the job."

"You don't say?"

Lunick's styler suddenly started beeping and vibrating violently. He picked his styler up from its holder and answered.

"This is Lunick."

"_Lunick! Are you near East Road at all?"_

"Uh, yeah. I just came into the Fall City Base. Why?"

"_We have an emergency. A pokémon's been hit by a car on East Road and it seems to be in critical condition. I need a team dispatched to the scene at once to investigate and treat the injured."_

"I'm on my way, Lind."

"_I'll meet you there."_

Lunick put his styler back in its holder and turned to Solana.

"Let's go, Solana."

Solana nodded.

"It was nice meeting you, Mr. Lamont," Lunick called as the two of them quickly ran out of the base.

"A pokémon hit by a car? Why, that sounds like a serious situation." Mr. Lamont evaluated.

Professor Hastings stood up.

"Yes, but I am sure it is nothing our young rangers can't handle. They are after all, Fiore's finest."

Mr. Lamont stood up as well.

"Might it be an inconvenience if I may ask to join them on their mission? I'd very much like to see your students in action."

Professor Hastings picked up his cane. "Then come along then. We haven't a moment to lose lest we run any further behind. Murph, I trust you can take care of the base while we are away?"

Murph nodded. "Of course, Professor."

"Excellent. I know I can depend on you, lad. Oh, and don't forget to finish your summary on Union policies. I expect a copy of your report when I return. Full completion."

Murph sighed. "Yes, Professor.

Professor Hastings nodded.

"Let us leave posthaste then, Lamont. We mustn't fall any further behind. Time to show these youngsters why they called us 'Almia's Blue Streak Trio'.

* * *

The first word that came to Lunick's mind when he arrived on the scene was chaos. All of East Road was jammed, both the pathway that trainers and civilians took and the roadway. There were metal car pieces and shards spread everywhere. The vehicle that was actually involved in the accident was completely totaled. Spectators were looking on in horror and excitement.

Solana and Lunick saw Lind and Leilani to the side, next to a family who appeared to be the ones involved in the crash. A bunch of other rangers were trying to clear the scene.

They hurriedly ran to them.

"Is this the family?" Solana asked.

"Yes," Lind quickly answered. "They're shaken but not seriously injured. We're waiting on the ambulance to look at them further, though."

"Save the pokémon!" the woman cried tearfully. "Please, you must save it!"

"I didn't mean to hit it!" cried the husband, "I-it just appeared out of nowhere! It ran onto the road faster than I could react! I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry!"

"Save it Mr. Ranger, please!" the prepubescent girl who appeared to be the couple's daughter finished.

"They're right. It's the pokémon I'm most concerned about it," said Lind, "You were the closest ranger I could locate for this mission."

"Where's the pokémon?" Lunick asked.

"Come with me."

Lind quickly guided Solana and Lunick to the other side of the vehicle. There, a badly injured Rapidash lay on the ground. There were several metal shards embedded in its skin and blood could be seen pooling from underneath the pokémon. It thrashed rapidly as the flames of its mane and tail appeared waver.

"According to the family, it ran onto the road in a frenzy. I haven't been able to get close to it. I didn't want to tranquilize it because I haven't been able to evaluate its condition. I don't want to send it into shock. There appears to be abnormally acute swelling and redness on its abdomen and legs. I'm worried it may be hemarthrosis and that there may be some soft tissue injury or maybe even an organ."

Lunick nodded. He slowly stepped closer to the pokémon.

"Can it stand?"

"I have not seen it get up since I got here. The family reports that it's been on the ground since it was struck."

Lunick tried to step closer to the pokémon but the Rapidash kept bucking, kicking, and flailing.

"It's in distress, Lind." Solana said.

"I can see that but I refuse to tranquilize it until we know its condition. The last thing I want would be to send this pokémon into a myocardial infarction."

"Would you rather it succumb to septic shock? You can't just do nothing, Lind."

"Guys, I got this," Lunick answered. "Minun, I need you to give the mildest Thunder wave you possibly can. I need to get close to it."

"Mai Mai!"

Nodding, Minun stepped in front of Lunick and released a very weak electrical jolt towards the Rapidash. It waved around the Rapidash and it cried out briefly before it calmed down and stopped thrashing.

"Good job, buddy."

"Mai!"

Lunick then approached the Rapidash and knelt down. He glided his hands lightly over its body to feel for any internal bruises, broken bones, and impalements.

Lunick stopped feeling around its body when he felt something his hand. He waited a moment and then when he got his confirmation of what he thought it was, his eyes grew wide before his features hardened and turned serious.

"Leilani, I need you to go catch a pokémon that knows the move Scald and bring it back here, pronto. Have Lucario excavate the ground surrounding Rapidash's head. Solana, get an anesthetic injection and administer this Rapidash a shot to lower her pain, please."

Solana and Leilani nodded and quickly went to do as he instructed as Lunick reached into his pack and pulled out two long sterile gloves that extend to his elbow. Leilani's Partner Pokémon then started depressing the ground around Lunick.

"Lunick, what's going on?" Lind asked.

"It's not hemarthrosis, Lind. This Rapidash is pregnant. The blood pool's not from hemorrhaging. The accident sent her into preterm labor."

Lind's eyes stretched wide.

"The egg is broken. The Rapidash is having fetal dystocia. The foal appears to be breeched and in a transverse lie position. We need to get this baby out now."

Leilani and Solana quickly returned. Lucario finished digging and ran back to join his ranger. Solana ran up to the Rapidash in front of Lunick and started to administer the pain injection in the Rapidash's neck.

"I caught this Croconaw and Corphish. They both know Scald." Leilani said.

"Good. Have them fill the arch around Rapidash with Scald. The hot steam should help comfort her without the water dousing her flames. Solana, I need you to secure Rapidash's head."

Leilani instructed the two water pokémon to do as he asked. They released streams of scalding hot water into the burrowed ground surrounding Solana, Lunick and Rapidash. The water was boiling and very hot steam rose as the water reached the brim.

Solana positioned herself above the Rapidash and firmly held her head. The Rapidash was breathing heavily and she could see how weak she was. She knew the chances of both the baby and mother surviving were slim but she shelved her nerves and did as Lunick instructed. None of them had ever delivered a baby pokémon before and received very little training for it. This mission had a good chance of going south but she had to put her faith and trust in Lunick.

"Alright, girl. We're gonna getcha outta this. I promise," Lunick whispered as he glided his hands gently on the Rapidash's belly.

Very carefully, Lunick reached his hands in through the Rapidash's genitalia to determine the accurate position of the foal.

"Backward presentation and breeched," Lunick uttered. "We gotta get this baby out now before it suffocates."

Taking his hands out, Lunick lubed up once more before reaching back inside the Rapidash. Knowing he needed to get both feet back up so he could get the foal out, he tried to feel for the hock and flex. Once he was sure where it was, he reached for the cannon bone and slid his hand to the foot. He cupped the foot with the palm of his hand and pulled the foal's pelvis into the birth canal. He then repeated the same procedure for the other hind leg.

As Lunick continued to pull, a dark red mass came out of the Rapidash instead of the white amniotic sac.

"Shit," Lunick cursed.

"Oh my God," Solana breathed. She knew that was the placenta that detached prematurely from placenta previa. If that came out before the foal did…that was not good.

Gritting his teeth, Lunick removed his hands, reached in his pack, and pulled out a scalpel. He tried desperately to break through the thick membrane. He hadn't noticed that the placenta detached when he felt inside for the foal, but now that he knew it was, he knew he had to get the baby out soon before it suffocated from inhaling the fluids.

Finally rupturing the red bag, Lunick quickly dropped the small surgical knife and reached back inside. He didn't have OB chains to attach to the foal's legs so he was going to have to use all of his strength to get this baby out. He felt the Rapidash straining and tried to use her contractions as an aid. Even when she stopped he kept pulling. He had to keep pulling. If it stood any sliver of a chance of surviving, he had to keep pulling.

The back hooves of the foal slowly emerged out of the mother. Lunick continued to pull. The Rapidash cried out and Solana tried her best to keep her secure so Lunick could continue to work.

Sweat dripped from Lunick's face both from the pressure of the dire situation and the steam from the scalding water surrounding him. But he had to keep pulling.

Back legs and bottom out. The tail was not lit.

"Come on…Come on…" Lunick muttered.

Halfway out.

All eyes were on Lunick as he tried to make an impossible delivery. You could cut the tension with a serrated knife.

Shoulders out.

Solana held her breath. Leilani held her breath. All the pokémon rangers and their pokémon held their breath.

As soon as the head came out, Lunick felt himself doused with the fluid from the obstructed amniotic sac. Fragments from the broken egg fell on him and around him. But he was unfazed and stoic as he pulled the foal further away and thankfully the umbilical cord was able to naturally break and he didn't have to tie it off and cut it.

Holding the Ponyta foal up against him, Lunick quickly removed the birth sac from around its head and wiped the mucus away from its nose. He opened its mouth and rapidly blew into it to try to stimulate a respiratory reflex. When it didn't breath after that, he tried to tickle its nose with a blade of grass. Still nothing.

"Oh my God, no," Solana whispered.

The Rapidash weakly lifted her head to look check on her baby and whinnied weakly.

Lunick rubbed the Ponyta foal vigorously, squeezing its ribs very slightly before lifting it up about a foot of the ground and dropping it back down. Then he started rubbing it vigorously on its face.

"Come on…Come on…"

Silence flooded all of East Road.

It was fleeting…Barely detectable…But it happened…

A gasp…A brief, transient intake of oxygen…But it happened.

Lunick quickly held up the baby's head, cupped his hands over its mouth and nose and steadily blew into its right nostril, letting its chest rise and fall before breathing again as he performed artificial respiration. He repeated it over and over again, about ten times, then hoped against hoped that everything he did was enough and not in vain.

He watched it closely.

Its chest rose…then fell…on its own…

Lunick smiled widely.

"It's breathing," he whispered quietly, before he repeated it again once more. "It's breathing."

Solana continued to inhale and exhale heavily and her lips slowly curved into a smile.

"It's breathing!" Lunick repeated louder before chuckling and finally shouting. "IT'S BREATHING! YES! IT'S BREATHING!"

All of East Road erupted in boisterous cheer and applause, so much so the ground appeared to shake. Everywhere people were throwing their hats, scarves, even their children (in the air) anything they could get a hold of to express their joy.

"He did it!" Leilani exclaimed as she enveloped her Lucario in a gigantic embrace.

Lind still hadn't picked up his jaw since Lunick told him the Rapidash was in labor.

Lunick continued to laugh uncontrollably as tears started to flow from his eyes – tears he fought so hard to contain but now welcomed them cheerfully and readily. He stroked the newborn Ponyta's face gently as he held it close to him.

"You gave us all quite a scare there, little one. But I'm so happy you pulled through. You're a fighter."

The tears flowed down Solana's cheeks too as she smiled at her incredible boyfriend. He had never ceased to amaze her.

"It's a female," Lunick said once he was finally able to calm himself ever so slightly to look the baby over.

The Ponyta weakly opened her eyes. Knowing that healthily and normally born Pontya were weak at birth, Lunick knew just how debilitated this one was. Still holding her carefully, Lunick scooted closer to Solana and the Rapidash and gently laid the baby Ponta down next to her mother.

The Rapidash whinnied weakly but delightfully as she nuzzled her baby and knew she was safe.

Lunick, though emotionally and physically drained, knew there was still a little more work to be done. He reached back inside his pack and took out a 1 – 2% iodine solution. He unscrewed the cap and poured it over the naval stump on the Ponyta's belly from the umbilical cord breaking to dry up the stump and prevent bacteria from traveling up and entering the foal's body.

When he was done he closed back the bottle of iodine, rested it back in his pack and took off his immensely bloody gloves.

Before Lunick could attempt to stand up he was tackled to the ground by his Partner Pokémon.

"Mai Mai! Mai Mai! Mai Mai!" he cried joyfully.

Lunick chuckled. "Yeah, I'm happy too, buddy." He said as he petted his pokémon on the head with his slightly blood-stained hand.

Lunick tried to sit up again but he was tackled again, this time by Plusle, who also could not contain her joy.

An ambulance trailer pulled up next to Solana and Lunick and four emergency pokémon rescue paramedics came out with a stretcher along with Fall City's Nurse Joy. They approached the Rapidash and newborn Ponyta.

"I don't know the full extent of her injuries," Lunick began as he slowly stood to his feet. "I didn't perform a full examine. I just delivered the foal."

"You've done plenty, Ranger Lunick," Nurse Joy said from the front as the pokémon were carried to the trailer on a large stetcher. "We can take it from here."

The Rapidash whinnied loudly. Lunick could tell from her head and neck movements that she was calling him over. He wobbly walked over towards her.

"Yeah?"

The Rapidash whinnied again before bowing her head to Lunick.

Smiling, Lunick reached out and touched her on her forehead.

"You're welcome." He said softly. "You did great, mama. Thank you for letting me help you. Now Nurse Joy and her team are gonna take over and take care of you to make sure you and your baby are well, so don't give them any trouble, okay?"

The Rapidash whinnied once again.

"Alright. You take it easy now."

Lunick could have sworn he saw the Rapidash nod but knowing the stress that his brain had been through, he knew it was most likely his strained eyes and overactive synapses creating that imagery.

Just as the back doors to the ungulate pokémon trailer were about to close, Lunick caught a glimpse of the flicker of what appeared to be a light blue flare on the top of the Ponyta's head.

Lunick smiled.

"Huh…She's a shiny…"

Lunick found himself nearly tackled again as Leilani enveloped him from behind.

"Oh my God, Lunick. That was just…That was just…Y-You are just…"

Solana walked up to them hugging herself and smiling.

Leilani released her hold from Lunick and allowed him to turn around.

"You are just amazing, Lunick," she replied tearily. "Sole, your man is simply amazing."

Solana continued to smile and nodded.

"Yeah…he is."

Lunick turned to face her. Once he saw her stance he knew exactly what she needed and opened his arms.

Chuckling, Solana walked up to him and was the first one not to attempt to tackle him to the ground. She wrapped her hand around his neck and hugged him. They held each other gently but firmly.

"I love you, Lunick," she said softly.

"I love you more, Solana." He replied back just as tenderly.

"Well, well," a voice said from behind.

Solana and Lunick loosely broke their embrace and turned to see Professor Hastings and Mr. Lamont standing behind them.

"That was most impressive, young man," Mr. Lamont said, wearing a large smile on his face.

"It most certainly was," Professor Hastings followed, "I dare say you've earned yourself the rest of the day off."

"But –"

"Now, it's no trouble at all. I'll call Spenser and inform him of the glorious job you performed here and I am sure he will have no objections."

Lunick smiled weakly. He knew he couldn't argue. He was exhausted.

"You know what, Professor? I think I might just take you up on that offer. Thank you."

Professor Hastings' smile widened and he shook his head.

"No. Thank you. Well done, Lunick. You've made us proud…So tremendously proud."

* * *

**A/N: **I know this chapter is long but there was so much I wanted to cover. I hope it wasn't too long for you guys.

I'll try to update again soon but because it is the holidays, I may not be able to post the next chapter until after the new year. So just in case this is the last chapter of 2016:

Merry Christmas Everybody and Happy New Year's! \\(^w^)/

I know this past year was filled with ups and downs for all of us, some more than others, but in the end we are still blessed and we've made it through another years, scars and all.

Enjoy yourselves for the holidays and I hope only for things to improve for us all!

And Please Don't Forget to Review!

**PS:** I've finally finished my Pokémon Ranger Christmas story after four to five years of on and off writing. It didn't turn out as I initially planned but I am still satisfied with it. I'll say maybe it's slightly noncanonical with my main Pokémon Ranger stories but it's still very close to it. Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **Okay everyone. Here is the first chapter that is a clear indication as to why I had to give this story an **M Rating**. **Sexual content! **The last part of this chapter, after the last line break before my Author's Notes at the end, has some heavy sexual content. What do I mean by sexual content? Well, I mean **sex****ual content**. Accordingly, sexual content is defined as depicting actual or simulated sexual behavior. So, if you are under the age of 18 (or 16 according to FanFiction), you are advised not to read the rest of the chapter after the last line break.

Please take this warning into consideration before reading, and I hope you can still enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Summerland was a well-known tropical town in Fiore and a popular spot among tourists. Many travelers and Trainers set up their second homes and holiday cottages in Summerland. I mean, who wouldn't want to vacation on a beautiful, warm, luscious island like Summerland? Contrast to the hustle and bustle of Fall City, Summerland was quiet, calm and relaxing – the ideal place to laze around, lounge and unwind after a long period of work.

And that is exactly what Leilani was doing. She had been sent on missions back to back for the past month but she was finally getting time to sit back and melt her stress away. She spent the majority of the day chilling on the beach after getting a couple's massage with Alejandro at the Summerland Resort. The tension between the two of them quickly evaporated when Leilani told him she had the day for just the two of them to hang out. He was all too pleased to take part in a day of R&amp;R with Leilani.

"Damn, Leilani. Most folks spend their entire life savings on a beach house and yah'll just got them here ready to sell?" Alejandro asked as he and Leilani strolled on the sandy path through the many breach homes in Summerland.

Leilani grinned. "Well, that's what it's like to live in Summerland. The town is forty percent beach and sixty percent jungle. You gotta have some place to put the houses."

"But these ain't your regular residential homes."

"Some may be more luxurious than others but that's the case with any place in the world."

Alejandro nodded. "For sure. I'm so down with living here on the beach. Watching the waves roll. Listening to the jungle pokémon. That's dope."

Leilani stopped walking. "How long have you been staying in Fiore anyway?"

"I dunno. Month, month and a half. Why?"

Leilani placed one hand on her hip. "It just seems that you've been here a while and you don't have a stable place to hang your hat."

Alejandro smiled. "I don't wear hats. Messes with the 'do' too much."

Leilani punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"You know what I mean. Staying in a hotel for so long can't be cheap."

"No, but you get what you pay for. The Summerland Resort's a pretty swanky place. I'm down for staying there for as long as I need. But if you have something else in mind?…"

Leilani could tell from his stare what he was implying. She gently shook her head.

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves. I was only asking about your living arrangements because I was concerned about your finances. But if you enjoy staying at the resort, that's perfectly fine to me."

Alejandro put his hands around Leilani. "Well, I especially enjoyed that couple's massage.

Leilani smiled. "Hm. Well, I told you I'd make it up to you for missing our date before, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but you took a mighty long time to do it. I'm still waiting for my payment for the tickets."

Leilani giggled. When she opened her eyes, she saw the bewildered expression on his face.

"What?"

"What's so funny?" he asked seriously.

Leilani sobered up slightly. She didn't get a chance to answer as her styler started to alarm. She picked it up from its holder and took the call.

"Leilani here…Uh huh…Yes, I am…Yes…Okay, I'm on my way…"

Leilani ended the call and put her styler back on her hip. When she looked up at Alejandro, she saw the irritation building in his eyes.

"I have to go, Alejandro."

"You said this day was all about us."

"I know. But I have to go to work. There's a situation with a Rhyhorn in the mountains –"

"Have someone else do it." He abruptly replied.

Leilani gawked at him.

"Alejandro, my boss called me to do a mission and I'm going to do it."

"I thought Top Rangers were their own bosses? Why do you still listen to the Snorlax?"

Leilani was taken aback by Alejandro's behavior.

"First of all, don't call him that. He is my Area Leader and you will _not_ disrespect him. Secondly, regardless of my rank and status I am still his student. I can designate and assign myself missions on my own but he is still my commanding ranger and my superior. I follow his instructions and his orders, end of discussion."

Leilani could see Alejandro's lips tighten. She sighed and placed a hand on his chest and he quickly held it.

"I know you wanted to just hang out today but my Area Leader assigned me a mission and I must complete it. I'll try to get back as soon as I can and I'll call you when I'm done, okay?"

Alejandro still didn't say anything. Leilani tried to walk away but she couldn't. Alejandro was still holding her hand.

"Alejandro, I have to go." She said tried to pull her hand away, but he did not let up on his grip.

Leilani once again tried to pull away but she couldn't free herself.

"Alejandro, let go."

His glare was unwavering and Leilani felt her knees buckle just a little bit. Why did he suddenly seem so cold? Just momentsago they were laughing and having fun with each other. How could he bounce between emotions so quickly?

Leilani tugged on her arm.

"Alejandro, let go of me. I have to go." She asked a little more forcefully.

When he didn't answer Leilani tried to pry herself free from his grasp but it didn't work. She tugged her arm one final and finally freed her hand from his grasp.

She held her hand and looked back at him. His stare was cold and unwelcoming.

"I'll call you when I get off." She breathed before turning around and walking away.

Lucario glared hard at Alejandro before joining his ranger. He didn't trust this human at all. Not one little bit.

* * *

Aria and Šárka sashayed into the Fall City Ranger Base.

"I'm telling you, Aria. You should have so gotten that. A black evening cocktail party, high-waisted jumpsuit with a deep V-neck, halter top design and backless? That had your name written all over it."

Aria scoffed.

"We don't have enough events to host a cocktail party. I'd have no place wear it. At that price, you'd need to be going out networking and socializing damn near every night."

"You don't get it, I bet you Solana will. She definitely has the curves to make that look even more seductive and alluring. Betcha Lunick would be on her trail, tongue and tail wagging and everything before she even worked a sweat in it."

Aria made a rude sound. "As if they aren't already sleeping together. She has him trained so well. I bet he doesn't even have to beg…The little tramp."

Šárka furrowed her brow. This conversation soured rather quickly. She personally didn't have anything against Solana but there was no stopping Aria from going on a long vicious tirade about her.

"My point is you should've got something. 'Bout time you started wearing something other than those white palazzo pants. They're played out."

"As if, Šárka. These are a classic. An avant-garde style of fashion. Classy and chic never go out of style, darling."

"You're maybe the only ranger I know who can get away with modifying her uniform. Hell, you're not even wearing the base's colors."

Aria flicked her hair.

"Like I said, classy and chic never go out of style."

Šárka folded her arms. "Whateves."

Aria folded her arms on the front desk. She scowled when she saw Lind's sea green eyes staring questioningly at her from behind the desk.

"Ugh. When is Joel returning back to work? I'm getting tired of seeing your drab face every day."

Lind picked up a stack of papers, straightened them in his hands and neatly stacked them together.

"Don't worry, Aria. He'll be back in tomorrow morning. You only have to work under me for a few more harrowing long hours."

"Oh joy." She rolled her eyes.

He started signing off on papers. "Did you complete your mission?"

"I'm here aren't I?"

"I can do without the sass, Aria."

"Stop giving me these mediocre missions newbies can do and maybe you can re-earn my respect."

"Tch. Like you ever respected me," he muttered under his breath.

Aria arched her eyebrow.

"Somebody's a little sour today, aren't they? What? You're finally not being overlooked in favor of me. You should be grateful you were the one chosen to be Area Leader while Joel was away. Is your idiosyncratic brother giving you flak? Has he finally figured out that you –"

"Aria, if you don't shut up I'm going to write you up for insubordination and have the Union so far up your ass, you'll be buried in paperwork until you turn forty!"

Aria smirked. "Really?…I'm the one with something up my ass?"

Šárka popped Aria hard on her shoulder.

"Ow! Šárka, what the hell?"

"Lay off, Aira," she admonished in a whisper. "He's still in charge."

Aria turned back to Lind. She could see the veins popping out of his neck and a tear that was just starting to well in his right eye.

She sighed heavily.

"Fine. Do you have another assignment for me?"

Lind didn't stop glaring at Aria. He simply picked up a manila folder that was on the table and handed it to her.

Aria opened the folder to see what was inside. Her eyes lit on fire.

"Mrs. Johansson!" she shouted as she slammed the folder holding the sheet of paper on the table. "You're sending me out to get Mrs. Johansson's spoiled Persian out of a tree?!"

"Her Persian is stuck on a rooftop on one of the buildings in the apartment complex and will not come down. You are to retrieve her and bring her back safely to Mrs. Johansson."

"That uppity old bag is the most unpleasant thing on the face of this earth! There is no way I'm going to get that self-entitled, spoon-fed feline for that self-indulgent crone!"

Lind's eyes hardened. "Aria, stop insulting our clients and go rescue Sassy for Mrs. Johansson. You might want to watch your mouth about her Persian. Your little Meowth might one day become a spoiled, self-entitled feline."

Aria's Meowth popped out of Aria's pet purse and hissed at Lind. Aria petted her lightly on the head.

"My Meowphy is a classy pokémon and if she evolved would never become as horrid a thing as that Persian."

"Aria…Go complete your mission…Now."

"Screw you, Lind! You're giving me these crappy missions on purpose!"

Šárka tugged on Aria's shoulder. "Come on, Aria! Let's just go do the mission. Stop giving him a hard time."

Aria slapped her hand away and shrieked in annoyance.

"Fine!" Aria snatched back up the folder and read over the report. "I can't wait until Joel returns so I can get the priorities."

Aria then felt Šárka tapping her on the shoulder again.

"What is it now?"

"Boyfriend. Two o' clock," she whispered as she pointed to the far right side of the base. Murph was sitting at one of the tables, holding a stapler and a stack of papers in his hands while looking dumbfoundedly at Aria.

Aria rolled her eyes and scowled.

"Go over to him," Šárka urged.

Aria gave an irritated sigh and tossed the folder back on the front desk. She then walked over to Murph and put a fake smile on her face.

"Hi, Murph," she said through gritted teeth.

"Hi," Murph replied softly. He was kind of hurt that Aria didn't say anything to him when she entered the base.

"What are you doing here, sweetie?" she asked.

Murph stapled the papers he held in his hands and placed the stapler back down on the table.

"Professor Hastings asked me to come by. His friend Mr. Lamont had some old manuscripts written by the Union he thought might be helpful in my studies. I also came to turn in my report."

He held up the packet in his hands.

Aria's eyes stretched slightly.

"Wow, that is a thick book."

"Oh, that's just my report. This is the manuscript," he said, picking up a heavier and much bigger packet of bound documents.

Aria nodded her head slowly.

"Wow…That is a lot of material…You sure you can get through all of it?"

Murph rested the large manuscript back on the desk.

"I don't have a choice. Professor Hastings is counting on me and I don't want to disappoint him."

Again, Aria nodded.

"Well, he sure has a dependable student. Professor Hastings is getting old. It's nice that you're taking over some of his duties to lighten his workload."

Murph smiled. That was the nicest thing she ever said to him.

"Thanks, Aria…"

Aria gave her first genuine grin with him. She walked a little closer to him and walked her fingers up his arm.

"I can't wait until I'm done with my mission and you wrap this thing up with Professor Hastings…I'm actually looking forward to going to the theatre this evening."

Murph stared at her in confusion.

"Theatre?"

"Mhmm…The comedy show with the Wailmer brothers?"

Murph thumped himself on the head.

"Oh maaannn…Aria, I can't go."

Aria stopped playing with his uniform, side stepped away from him and gasped.

"What?!" she spat out, giving him the most appalled and disgusted expression.

Murph sighed again.

"I can't go, Aria. Not tonight. The Professor –"

"Let me get this straight. You buy tickets to book the most horrid, juvenile, brainless comedy show in Fall City's Sugimori Center for the Performing Arts, bugged me for weeks that this was going to be something I would enjoy even though you know I absolutely despise callow buffoonery. I finally agree to go…and now you are ditching me?"

Murph shook his head animatedly.

"No, no! Gosh, Aria. I don't mean to cancel. Honest! It's just the Professor has me doing so much –"

Aria held out her hands. "I cannot believe I actually managed to convince myself that there was even the slightest chance that we could have fun together and enjoy each other's company. Let me tell you something, Murph, you don't kill our dates. I kill our dates. We don't go out, it's because I say we don't. The nerve of you trying to cancel on me…Your fat ass should be groveling at my feet, thankful that I even gave you the time of day. Cancel on me? Please!"

She shoved Murph's papers at his stomach and they fell to the floor. She about-faced and walked towards the base's exit.

"I'm going to have fun tonight, with or without you."

And with that, she exited the base. Šárka and Lind both gave Murph a sympathetic look.

Šárka sighed softly and slowly walked outside the base to join Aria.

Murph sniffled slightly as he knelt on the floor to pick up his scattered papers. He saw a hand hold out a few of them to him, looked up, and smiled.

"Thanks, Lind."

Lind nodded slightly before standing up and returning to his post behind the front desk.

Standing up, Murph placed the papers back on the table.

"Slowking?" his Partner Pokémon asked.

Murph shook his head.

"No, pal…I'm not."

* * *

"Mai Mai?"

"No, buddy. She already has earrings. Unless they're the exact same as the ones her grandmother gave her, it's not gonna work."

"Mai Mai?"

"She doesn't wear bracelets."

"Mai?"

"No. It's not good enough. It's gotta be bigger, Minun. Bigger."

Minun sighed in annoyance.

"Is something troubling you Lunick-sama?" a voice called.

Lunick looked up from his laptop and saw Iyori standing in front of him at one of the tables inside the base's lobby.

He shook his head. "Nah. Just trying to find the best birthday gift for Solana. Nothing I get her is going to top the birthstone necklaces I gave her earlier this year. I should have just saved those for her birthday like I initially planned."

"I'm sure Solana-san will appreciate anything you give to her."

Lunick chuckled.

"Yeah, I know she will. But I still want to get her something great, you know? I think I might've outdone myself with this last gift. I'm all out of ideas."

"Mai Mai! Mai Mai!" Minun jumped up and down on the table and pointed to the monitor.

Lunick leaned forward to see what Minun was pointing at then leaned back and shook his head.

"No. No way, Minun."

"Mai Mai Mai? Mai Mai!"

"N. O. No. I'll find something else."

Minun gave a little squeal that was probably the cutest little sound Iyori had ever heard. He hopped off the table and scurried away.

Lunick tapped on chin with his finger.

"What else does Solana like? Flowers? Plushies? It can't all be jewelry. Iyori, you're a girl. What are some extravagant things you like?"

Iyori blushed slightly. "What? Me?…I-I don't very much care for extravagant things?"

"Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be lavish. Just something that says, 'Babe, I love yah! These last three years have been sheer bliss. Thank you for making me the luckiest and happiest guy in world and staying by my side through all my shenanigans!'"

"Well…why not just say that?"

"Actions speak volumes louder than words, Iyori. I'm more of a show and don't tell kind of guy, unless I have a mushy speel to go along with it."

Iyori frowned.

"Then…I am not sure I can be much help to you, Lunick-sama. I am sorry."

Lunick shook his head.

"No, don't apologize. It's cool. I'll figure out something. I've got some time before her B-Day still."

Just then, Solana and Plusle entered the Ringtown Ranger Base.

"Hey, Lunick." She greeted cheerily.

Lunick quickly closed down his laptop.

"Hey, Babe. How was the mish?"

Solana walked up to him and sat down in the chair beside him.

"Oh, no biggie. The Poliwag were just a little unnerved because of the Vileplume spreading their Stun Spore. I had them back in their nesting grounds and they were eating Salveyo weeds in no time."

"Salveyo weeds?" Iyori asked.

"It's a medicinal herb that helps counteract the Stun Spore's paralysis. An effective antidote can be made by boiling the leaves of the Salveyo weeds. They're only found in the clear lake bottoms near the Vileplume habitat. A tricky situation for the Poliwag line but fortunately these weeds are nearby to help them survive."

"Oh." She said quietly. "I hope the other pokémon are okay."

"They're fine, Iyori." Solana answered. "Most pokémon are friendly to each other so long as their family and territory are not threatened."

"Oh. Well, that is good."

Spenser then exited from the elevator and entered the lobby. He smiled when he saw Solana and Lunick.

"Mission clear, Solana?"

"Yes, Leader."

"Good." He walked around to his desk and sat down. "Nice to see you again, Lunick. You've been taking on quite a lot recently, haven't you?"

Lunick chuckled. "Yeah, well, you can't help what you can't control, right? You can only do your best to improve the situation."

"Yes. And you've been doing even above that. You've made the Union proud with your rescue of that Rapidash and the newborn Ponyta. They are even integrating a new program to teach rangers how to deliver pokémon in complicated deliveries because of your heroism."

Lunick smiled. "That's great!"

"You've inspired a lot of people, Lunick. And you've saved a lot of lives."

"Well, that's what I'm paid to do, Leader. We save lives. We don't settle for causalities."

Spenser nodded and grinned.

Suddenly, a tall blond-haired man with a goatee busted into the Ringtown Ranger Base.

"Disaster! It's a disaster! Trouble! Oh, trouble!" he cried.

Spenser turned back to face him.

"What's the problem, Larry?"

"Oh, it's a crisis! A catastrophe! A great tragedy!"

"Is it Swellow?"

Larry huffed at Spenser with great indignation.

"How can you remain so calm? My precious darling is lost out there! Cold, hungry, scared of this terrifying world! Oh, trouble! Trouble!"

Spenser turned to Lunick.

"Lunick?"

Lunick sighed.

"Where did you lose it this time, Larry?"

"How dare you?! I did not lose my darling Swellow! We were attacked by a vicious Slakoth!"

Iyori gasped and her hands flew to her mouth.

"Oh my!"

Solana stood up and held her by her shoulders.

"It's okay, Iyori. He's just embellishing a bit."

"Embellishing?!"

Lunick rolled his eyes. "Larry, Slakoth loll around and sleep more than twenty hours a day. They barely move."

"Well, maybe they seem like weak drowsy pokémon to you. But I'm no dummy! That Slakoth could've evolved into an overzealous Vigoroth, and then into a raging Slaking! Oh, the mere thought must've had my precious Swellow so scared it flew away before it could maul its delicate wings!"

"Or it needed to get some space from its unduly mollycoddle owner." Lunick muttered under his breath.

Larry slammed his hands on Spenser's desk, startling Iyori.

"Are you going to send someone out to rescue my darling Swellow or not?!"

Lunick stood up. "Alright, Larry. Relax. I got this. I'll have Swellow –"

Before Lunick could answer, an older woman came bolting through the Ringtown Ranger Base doors.

"Oh please! You must help me!" she cried. "My little Smoochum and I were taking a stroll in the Lyra Forest when we got separated by a swarm of Beedril. I'm worried something terrible might happen to it. Please, you must find it and bring it back safely to me!"

"Hey! I was here first sister!" Larry argued.

"Excuse me?"

"These rangers are going to rescue my darling Swellow first! After they return it back safely to me, I'm sure they'll happily look for your pokémon."

Spenser tried to interject.

"Now Larry, there's no –"

"Well, I never!" The woman huffed. "You rude young man! I have a real emergency!"

"So do I!"

"Really? You have a full grown pokémon wanting to escape your squeamish hold on it. I have a baby pokémon wandering around lost in a forest filled with aggressive pokémon! I think it's clear who has the bigger problem!"

Larry gawked at the woman.

"How dare you?!"

Spenser stood up. "Now, there is no need to argue. We have plenty of rangers here who can –"

Before Spenser could finish, a couple ran into the Ringtown Ranger Base.

"Please help us!" the young woman cried.

"Our kids were playing in the lake when they were surrounded by a family of territorial Krabby and Kingler. My brother is watching them but you must send someone out to rescue them before they get hurt!" the man followed.

"Excuse me, but I was here first!"

"No, I was here first old woman! These rangers are going to find my darling Swellow!"

"Our kids' lives are in danger!"

"Oof! Young people today have no respect for their elders!"

The situation in the base was escalating and Solana could see how uneasy and afraid Iyori was getting. She was starting to dig her nails into her skin again and tear up. Murph may have been right in his concerns with Iyori being at the base on a busy day.

"Iyori, deep breaths. Everything is going to be okay."

Iyori gasped for air, she was starting to hyperventilate.

"They're all upset. They're gonna attack," she cried.

Solana held her hands. "No, no. They're not gonna attack. Everything is going to be fine."

Lunick could see Solana struggling with Iyori. He walked over to them.

"Iyori?"

"They're going to attack!" she shrieked.

"Iyori, how about we go into a different room? Where you can't see them or hear the excitement?" Lunick suggested.

Iyori shook her head fervently. "They're going to kill me!"

"Everyone calm down!" Spenser shouted. "We can address all of your concerns if you just –"

It was then that a camera crew entered the base.

"Where is he?" the anchorwoman asked.

"There he is!" the cameraman yelled, pointing to Lunick on the other side of the base.

"Oh no." Lunick uttered.

A swarm of people then flooded the base, the majority running towards Lunick and Solana.

"This is Channel 2 News. We've finally been able to track down the heroic ranger who saved the two pokémon in last week's horrendous accident."

"Lunick, how were you able to save that injured Rapidash?" one of anchors asked.

"Is it true that the driver hit the pokémon with the intention of killing it?"

"Mr. Kaneko, how does this affect pokémon and human relations regarding traveling routes?"

"Our children!"

"My Smoochum!"

"MY SWELLOW!"

The clamor in the lobby filled the entire base. Rangers came out from the elevator door and the kichenette trying to figure out what was going on.

"What in tarnation?" Tara cried out as she stepped into the lobby.

"What the heck is going on?" Lindsey followed.

Spenser banged on his desk. "Crowd control! Crowd control! Now!" he shouted.

All rangers knew what that meant. In order to prevent a human crush, they had to get the crowd out now. All the Ringtown rangers worked to calm the situation…all but Solana and Lunick, who were nearly pinned against the wall from the swarm of reporters.

Iyori's eyes dilated and she let out a shrill scream thoroughly alarming Solana and Lunick.

"Kare wa watashi o korosudarou!" _He will kill me!_

She then started banging her head against the wall, further frightening Solana.

"Oh my God, Iyori, stop it!"

"Iya! Iya! IYA!" _No! No! NO!_

Lunick grabbed Iyori from behind and held her tightly as he turned his back to the wall to keep her from bashing her head in while also pinning her arms down at her sides.

"Iyori, yamete! Kega o shinaide kudasai!" _Iyori, stop it! Do not hurt yourself!_

Iyori kept on screaming in fear.

Solana's eyes wavered. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes.

She couldn't stand to look at this anymore and turned around and fought her way through the crowd until she reached the entrance.

"Solana!" Lunick called out. "Solana!"

Solana didn't listen. She stepped outside and ran home as fast as she could.

"Plah Pla!" Plush cried as she strained to follow behind her.

As much as Lunick didn't like reporters shoving their microphones in his face or seeing Iyori in a hysterical state, it was seeing Solana break down and cry that ached his heart the most.

* * *

Lunick knocked on Solana's front door, hoping that she would answer. It took nearly all of the rest of the day until the whole situation at the base finally calmed down. Spenser had to call practically every base to recruit rangers to help push the frenzied crowd out. As soon as Lunick got off work, he headed straight for Solana's house, not even stopping to change out of his uniform first. She had not come back to the base since the hysteria and he was really getting concerned about her.

When she didn't come to answer, he knocked again and called out.

"Solana, it's me. Please open up, Babe. I'm worried about you."

There was the sound of movement on the other side of the door and it crack opened. But it wasn't Solana who was on the other side.

"Pla Plah?"

Lunick held the door open.

"Where is she, Plusle?"

Turning around, Plusle ran to Solana's living room and pointed.

"Pla Plah."

Lunick and Minun stepped inside and he closed the door behind him. He followed Plusle to Solana's living room. He saw her curled up on her sofa, holding a pillow against her chest.

"Thank you, Plusle." He said as he walked into her living room.

He sat down on the edge of the sofa and turned to her.

"Solana?"

She didn't respond but he knew she was awake. He gently lifted her legs and sat down underneath, resting her legs back down on his lap afterwards. He then lightly rubbed her legs.

"Solana…" he called again.

Solana slightly turned her face to look at him. He could see the tearstains on her face.

"Is Iyori okay?"

Lunick nodded.

"Iyori is fine. She is staying with Leilani tonight. And all the pokémon were located and safely returned to their owners."

"Did she hurt herself?"

"She's bleeding a little but nothing serious. Very superficial head injury thankfully."

Solana rested her head back down on the puffy arm of the sofa.

"I'm a bad person." She said softly

"What?"

"I'm a bad person," she repeated a little louder.

"Solana, what are you talking about? You are not a bad person."

"Yes, I am." She lifted her head once more. "Iyori hurt herself because of me. She could have killed herself."

Lunick shook his head.

"No, Solana. Iyori hurt herself because she does not know how to cope when she's stressed. That has nothing to do with you. And she would not have killed herself. I would not have let that happen."

Solana suddenly sat up.

"Lunick, I put her in that situation. I endangered her life."

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did!" she cried out, "I'm the one who suggested she work at the base, even though she's not stable right now. I put her in a highly stressful situation knowing it may very well be too much for her to handle. You and Murph were right. This was not a good idea. It was a horrible idea!"

"Hey," Lunick put his right arm around Solana, "We all knew Iyori was very fragile. We all agreed to have her work at the base. This isn't your responsibility alone."

"No, Lunick," Solana breathed, "When I initially suggested that Iyori work there, it was to get her away from you."

Lunick furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

Solana gave an exasperated sigh. "She was clinging to you, Lunick. She was following you around everywhere and staying at your house. I know she's been through a lot but I just was not comfortable with her hanging around all the time. I was distrustful and suspicious of her. I didn't want her falling into your arms all the time…Depending on you…So, I planned to have her stay in the Ringtown Ranger Base. But then…I got to know her a little better and I realized she wasn't trying to steal you from me and I just wanted to help her get over her fears and anxieties…but I still put her in this situation…All because I was jealous and insecure…And now…I don't know if Iyori is going to be able to recover after all this…God, I'm such an awful person…"

Lunick was silent as he continued to listen to Solana.

Solana sniffled. "I left the base because I couldn't bear to see Iyori suffer…She tried to kill herself because I put her in a position she was not ready for…"

There was silence for a couple moments. Solana was expecting Lunick to shout…to yell at her. To stare at her with pure hatred at her selfishness…

…She was not expecting him to wrap his arms around her and embrace her.

"You're not a bad person, Solana," he finally said. "You're a human being. I know I've been giving Iyori a lot of attention. That I've been trying to take care of her…But you were right. You were right from the start…Taking care of Iyori is not my responsibility."

He sat back up and looked her in her eyes as he wiped the tears from her face.

"I want to help her, Solana. I do…But if helping Iyori is going to make you feel this bad about yourself…then, I can't do that anymore."

"Lunick, she trusts you."

"She does. But you need to be able to trust me too."

Solana fell silent.

Lunick stopped wiping her face.

"I've been inconveniencing myself but I've also been inconveniencing you. I was so focused on helping Iyori through this hard time in her life, I didn't even consider how this might have been affecting you. And that is selfish. I can't just make decisions on my own without giving thought to your feelings and needs as well. I'm gonna keep my promise to Iyori to keep her safe. But I'm not gonna break my promise to you in order to do it. I am committed fully to you, Solana. And if my actions have made you uncomfortable and feel insignificant in anyway, then I've made a great mistake. Please forgive me."

Solana's eyes shimmered. Lunick, in the span of ten minutes, took her from her lowest point where she felt like the most worthless and despicable piece of crap in the world, to making her feel like the most loved and desirable person in the world. He was honestly the only person she knew who knows exactly what to say not just to make her feel better but was also genuine and sincere with every word that came out of his mouth in endeavoring to make her feel better. God she loved him so much it hurt.

Solana shook her head slightly.

"Does this mean you don't forgive me?"

Solana's eyes stretched wide and she shook her head firmly.

"No, no! That's not what I meant! I forgive you!…I mean…There's nothing to forgive. You don't need to be forgiven. I need to be forgiven."

Lunick cupped Solana's face.

"You are forgiven," he said gently.

Solana was silent for a long moment before she threw her arms around Lunick and squeezed him tightly.

Plusle and Minun smiled.

"I love you, Lunick…I love you so much…"

"I love you too, Solana."

"…I don't deserve you."

"You deserve so much more than I can give. Don't you ever think of yourself less than what you are. A beautiful, smart, caring girl who is allowed to make mistakes from time to time. Okay?"

Solana just nodded as she felt a tear roll down her cheek. Lunick pulled back just far enough so he could see her face. She saw his face scrunch up when he saw that she was still crying.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled, moving her hand to wipe away the tear.

"Don't be," he took her wrist before she could touch her face.

He leaned down slowly and connected his lips with hers. It was the softest, gentlest kiss she'd ever felt from him…It was as if she were so delicate and frail, and he was trying his best not to break her.

Tenderly, yet enticingly slowly, he reached his tongue out to touch her lips. His tongue gently brushed the outside of her lips before arriving back to the crevice between her upper and lower lip. He gently pushed forward and she willingly opened her mouth so that he could enter. His tongue rubbed against hers, stroking it gently and exploring. She felt herself shudder as a tingle started in her center and flowed all throughout her body.

Gingerly freeing her wrist from his hand, she put both her arms around his neck as her tongue now entered his mouth, dancing with his tongue.

Lunick's hands slowly drifted down to her backside, lightly caressing her. Solana moaned as she felt his fingers work.

Plusle and Minun decided to scurry to Solana's backyard to give their humans some privacy.

Separating his lips from hers, Lunick then started gently kissing her on her jaw line, traveling down to her neck, and then to the hollow space between her collarbone. She tilted her head to the right to give him better access. He stayed at the spot just at the base of her neck that met with her collarbone, probably forcing her to have to wear a high collar or a scarf for a few days afterwards, before traveling back up her neck. His lips found hers once more and they continued their dance.

Pressing her body closer to his, Solana hopped on his lap and wrapped her legs around his waist. His hands never left her behind as he stood up and carried her to her bedroom. He set her down on the bed, the two of them never pausing in their advances. He climbed on top of her, kissing her with a passion he hadn't known he had.

Solana pulled down his uniform jacket and started unbuttoning his shirt, tossing them both to the floor once she was able to get them off. Lunick's hands continued to roam. Eventually, his right hand found its way underneath her miniskirt, rubbing a very sensitive spot between her legs.

Solana drew in her breath and gasped before moaning in pleasure. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head as Lunick continued to stroke her, his touch electrifying.

Finding his lips again, Solana's hands undid the buckle on his belt and loosened it out, pulling the belt out of the loops and throwing it where Lunick's shirt rested. She then started pulling his pants down. Lunick then kicked it off once it reached passed his knees, not wanting to take his hands off of Solana.

Their lips parted again as Lunick started kissing her on her chest. He pulled off his fingerless work gloves and pitched them to the side. He undid the knot on the top of her black crepe blouse, kissing the open space beneath the tie before lifting it up over her head, discarding it with the other clothes. He then resumed kissing her chest. His hand caressed her right breast through her Eevee-patterned chiffon bra. Solana again moaned in pleasure.

Lunick then hooked his fingers underneath her bra straps and pulled them down over her arms. Then, he unhooked the clasp and tossed the bra to the floor, leaving her upper torso completely exposed.

This was the first time he'd ever seen Solana this exposed, not counting the time when he accidently walked in on her in the shower three years ago. He was actually a little nervous about going any further.

He felt her hands grasp the back of his head and slowly bring him down to her chest. Slowly, he planted a line of kisses from right to left around her breast, before rubbing his tongue against the apex of the pink mound, playing with it before lightly sucking on it. Solana's head rolled back and she pressed his head further into her as he continued to suckle her. Moving to her left breast, Lunick planted gentle kisses around it before licking the protuberance once again and lightly sucking on it. His right hand once again began massaging her right breast as he continued to play with her left one. Her skin was oh so soft…

All over Solana's body tingled from pleasure. She felt his 'manhood' brush up against her, a clear indication that he was enjoying this just as much as she was.

As he continued to fondle her, Solana's hands traveled down to his boxers. Her right hand slipped down inside, feeling him and caressing him as he was her.

A long moan escaped Lunick's lips as he continued to touch her. His head bent back in pleasure before his lips met with hers again, their tongues engaging in a dance once more. They continued to kiss until the mutual need for air caused them to part.

Breaking the kiss, Lunick's hands found Solana's beige miniskirt. Pushing his fingers inside the back, he pulled the skirt down her legs and threw it to the side. He then started kissing her thighs, starting from the outside moving to the inside. Solana's body shivered.

Lunick then lifted his head, looking his girlfriend in the eyes.

"Are…Are you sure you're ready for this, Solana?"

She nodded her head, 'yes'.

Lunick then hooked his fingers in her teal-colored panties and pulled them down.

Tossing them to the ground, Lunick stared at her. He was seeing all of her now…Every single inch of her…She was so beautiful. So very, very beautiful.

Lunick then started planting kisses on her stomach, traveling up to her chest once again, staying there for a moment, before going back up to meet with her lips. Solana then rested her hands on his behind, squeezing slightly before inching her fingers inside his boxers and pulling them down. It too joined the pile of clothes and undergarments on the floor.

They continued to kiss each other fiercely until the need for air caused them to separate once more. He again started placing kisses on her body, traveling from her jaw line, down her neck, down the middle of her chest, to her stomach, and passed her hips. He stopped when he reached between her legs.

"Solana, are you sure you want to do this?"

She again nodded her head 'yes', but he saw there was hesitancy in her eyes.

"Solana…Baby, I love you. And I would want nothing more than to express that to you in the ultimate form of love…But I don't want us to do this if we're not ready. Not only that, I don't have a condom. We don't have any protection against pregnancy. Are you really sure you want to do this?"

Again, Solana nodded. "I take birth control, Lunick."

He was surprised to hear that. "You do?"

"Yes. After we started going on more…dangerous…high-risk missions. More specifically after we defeated Billy and Team Iniquitous three years ago." She said, closing her eyes.

"What do high-risk dangerous missions have to do with taking birth control?" Lunick asked.

"Lunick," Solana breathed out as she reopened her eyes, "High-risk as in dangerous and bad for me. High-risk as in Billy, Clyde, Garrett, and Gordor…High-risk as in all male villains. As in, eccentric demented obsessed male villains with powerful weapons that could knock me out. As in, demented obsessed male villains that could…do things to me after knocking me out and taking me hostage."

Understanding what she meant, Lunick got up from on top of Solana and crawled over next to her on the bed.

"Has anyone…Has anyone ever tried to…do things to you?…Tried to…you know?…"

Solana turned her head away for a moment, ashamed and hesitant to answer him. She sat up against the headrest, pulling the sheet over her, covering herself and Lunick. She pulled her knees up to her chest and nodded 'yes'.

Lunick's eyes stretched wide.

"They raped you?…They raped you?!" he exclaimed. He felt his anger rising. "Who raped you?!"

"Lunick! No!" Solana said, quickly, "Nobody raped me! None of them raped me!…I've just had few close calls, that's all…"

"What kind of close calls?! Why didn't you tell me this before?!" he gushed out.

Sighing, Solana prepared to tell Lunick the heart-wrenching tale.

"…The first time anything majorly sexual happened on a mission was when we faced Team Iniquitous three years ago. Do you remember?"

Lunick nodded.

"Yes. That was during the whole Shadow Pokémon revival incident, when Billy knocked you out and captured you by the Fiore Temple. I remember finding their underground hideout and freeing you from this dungeon-like place before we purified Ho-Oh and saved all the pokémon."

"Yeah," she nodded in assurance. "When I came to, I was chained to a wall. They must've taken my styler away from me while I was unconscious because I didn't see it on its holder on my hip…Then, Billy walked into the room…"

Solana sighed and fought to hold back her tears as she recalled the terrifying incident, but her lower lip started to quiver. Lunick wrapped his right arm around her, trying to console her and pulled her close to him.

She took a shaky breath before continuing.

"He walked over to me, smirking and laughing that creepy maniacal laugh of his…Then he started saying some stuff to me…About how he and his father were gonna win and conquer the world…And then about how he was going to make my last moments alive…the most pleasurable ones he ever had…That we were going to have some...fun before you arrived...Initially, I thought he called me 'sweetness' to mock me, but as it turns out, it was for other intensions…"

Solana couldn't fight the tears anymore. They flowed down her face like an angry river. Lunick's heart crumbled into pieces as he continued to look at his distraught girlfriend.

"He…He grabbed me…Shoved his tongue down my throat…He…felt me…Rubbed himself against me…All the while whispering very crude, nasty things to me…Are you sure you want to hear this?…It gets worse."

"I want to hear all of it," he said seriously. He could not believe all the turmoil Solana had gone through.

"…He stroked my hair whenever he would talk to me...And he kept on kissing me…I couldn't talk because he kept shoving his nasty tongue in my mouth…He continued to feel me up…Then he started unbuttoning my shirt… The whole time I was screaming at him…begging him to stop…..But he just wouldn't listen."

Solana started sobbing hysterically. Lunick rubbed her shoulders. He felt his jaw tighten as his anger rose.

"He enjoyed humiliating me!…Degrading me…He undid the shackles on my right leg and as soon as it was free I kicked him right in the gut…I was actually aiming lower than that, but the strain on my ankle affected my aim…He stumbled back…Then he started laughing again…He kept laughing!…My God, I wanted to rip that disgusting smirk off of his face and feed it to every carnivorous pokémon I could find!…"

The tears continued to flow down her face, burning her eyes. Lunick gently wiped every one away, stroking her cheek softly after each one.

"He was totally freaking me out!…Then he started undoing the zipper on his pants…"

Solana looked away and covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle her sobs. Lunick pulled her onto his lap, holding her and rocking her in his arms, trying his best to comfort her and remind her that she was now safe. So long as she was with him, she was safe. He would make sure of it.

Solana slowly exhaled as she tried to calm down.

"I saw it, Lunick...I saw the tip of it...But before he could finish undressing and...you know...you busted in…You know what happened after that…"

There was a long stretched out silence.

"Oh my God," Lunick said softly in a voice laden with pain and irritation, "How could I not have known? I mean, I saw that your shirt wasn't buttoned right, but I thought that was because of all the battles we faced before and the struggle in you being captured…I never thought…Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"We were just friends then, Lunick. There was no need for me to tell you that…And after we got together and started dating…I…I don't know…I just didn't know how to bring something like that up…How could I possibly tell you I was sexually assaulted by Billy?…Not only that, but I was trying to forget that it even happened…I didn't want to deal with it…I didn't want to remember it."

Lunick gently brushed her hair out of her tear-stained wet face. He kissed her on her forehead before he rested his chin on top of her head.

"Were there any others?"

Solana barely nodded.

"When I was in that dungeon, that Ardos fellow walked by and saw what he was doing…Billy asked him if he wanted to join in and for a moment, it looked like he was seriously contemplating it…He stepped inside, then he grabbed me roughly by my hair, pulling me close to him…He looked me in my eyes for a long time before slamming my head into the wall and walking away…I was so scared, Lunick…I was so so scared…"

Lunick leaned back.

"I know," he said looking her in her eyes.

"Did anybody else hurt you?" he asked as he continued to wipe away her tears.

Solana paused for a long while before answering.

"Did I…ever tell you why I wanted to become a ranger?"

Lunick shook his head. "No."

Solana sighed as she recalled the painful events from her past.

"Do you remember before, when you would ask me about my stepfather and I would just not answer you or changed the subject?"

Lunick nodded slowly.

Solana exhaled loudly.

"…He used to touch me…" she said, barely audible enough for him to hear.

Lunick's eyebrows rose slightly at hearing that. Not to say he didn't believe her – of course he believed her…He was just surprised. He never would've thought that something like that would've gone down with Solana. She always talked about how loving and close her family was.

"Ever since he married my mother and moved in with us…He developed this…unnatural obsession with me…It had only been 2 years since meeting my mom that he started…"

Solana started crying again.

Lunick's heart broke in two as he continued to listen to Solana. His jaw tightened even more as he tried to control his anger.

"He would make me sit on his lap…He would whisper sweet nothings to me during the day and at night…And he would touch himself…in front of me…before….before touching me himself…"

Lunick looked down. If he ever met this man….God help him!…

Solana sniffled as she wiped her face.

"After I received those acceptance letters from Spenser, I was so happy. I was excited to become a ranger, but moreso, I was happy to get away from my stepfather. On the evening before my birthday, which was the day I set out on my journey…my stepfather told me he was going to give me something really special for my birthday. Something to commemorate me reaching the legal age to start a journey…I knew he was going to rape me…I just knew…" she whispered, her voice cracked.

"I could not let him have that chance. That night, when my mom and him were both sleeping, I packed up my things and ducked out of the house. I ran away and caught the first ferry I could find. I literally didn't stop shaking until it docked at the port in Fiore six days later…I haven't spoken to him since…"

Again, there was silence for little while.

"Solana…You do know that none of that…none of that stuff was your fault, right?"

When she wouldn't look at him and didn't answer he grew more concerned.

"Solana?"

He put his hand under her chin and brought her up to face him.

"Solana…You know none of it is your fault, right?"

Solana squeaked as her eyes started tearing again.

Lunick shook his head fervidly as he wiped her tears.

"Solana, no. It's not your fault. None of it is your fault! Don't you dare blame yourself!"

She continued to cry. "I…I don't know, Lunick…"

"No. No. Don't say that. It is not your fault that some sick pricks abused you. It is not your fault that your stepfather touched you. Do you hear me? None of it…Absolutely none of it is your fault! Do you understand me?" he nearly barked at her.

Solana nodded slowly as the tears continued to flow. Lunick held her close to him and squeezed her tight as she cried into his shoulder.

After about twenty-something minutes, Solana calmed down. She continued to lay on him and rest her head on his chest as he continued to hold her and brush her hair lovingly.

"You are so strong, Solana…In fact, you are the strongest person I know…To go through all that, all on your own…and then still do your job…I am…so sorry…that I wasn't there to help you when you needed me the most."

Solana started tracing circles on his chest.

"Lunick, you have been there for me more times than I can count. I am so very fortunate to have you…And I'm sorry I never told you any of this before…I guess I was afraid of how you would react…I was afraid that you would be mad or upset about what happened…It's stupid of me to think that, I know."

"No, it's not stupid. To be honest, Solana, I am freakin' pissed off!…Majorly pissed off!…Not at you, of course…I'm pissed off at those sons of bitches who hurt you so much…If I ever see those men–"

"Lunick, no. You can't," she sat back up in his lap. "Please. That would just make things worse."

Her eyes shimmered.

Lunick hated seeing her beautiful eyes laced with so much fear and pain in them.

"I'm not saying I'd do anything crazy…I'm just sayin'…They will never get the opportunity to hurt you ever again. Not so long as I am living and breathing on this earth. I will protect you for the rest of your days. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you anymore. Never again."

Solana smiled weakly. She leaned down and kissed Lunick on the lips before dropping her head back down on his chest. She thought she'd feel filthy and vile after confessing to Lunick about Billy and her stepfather. But actually, she felt relieved. It felt so good to finally get all of that stuff off her chest. She had never told anyone what happened before, not even Leilani or her mother. She had been way too ashamed. But now, she felt like a ginormous weight was lifted off of her shoulders and she could breathe again.

"I'm just sorry we didn't get to…you know…"

"I'm not," Lunick said as he moved a loose strand of hair out of her face, "To be honest, Solana, as good as it felt in the moment, I don't think either of us were ready to take such a big leap. And especially after hearing about the trauma you've gone through…I don't think it would have been fair to you."

She snuggled in closer to him, resting her head in the crook of his neck and closing her eyes.

"You're probably right."

Lunick looked up at the ceiling.

"Uh, Solana?…Don't you think we should put our clothes back on now?"

"We don't have to…To be honest, I just want to stay here in your arms. I don't ever want to have to let you go."

Lunick lowered his hands down to her waist and wrapped his arms around her. He laid back down on the bed, taking Solana with him.

"Don't worry…I'm not going anywhere."

Their lips met and they shared another tender kiss.

They stayed that way, holding each other and cuddling, bathed in each other's warmth until they both fell asleep.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you were still able enjoy the chapter despite some unpleasantries involving Solana's past. The conversation is vital and relevant to the story. I will maintain my promise to make you all aware ahead of time of any sexual content that will be taking place in a chapter for the rest of the story. The warning will be above in an Author's Note like this one.

With that said, I wish you all a Happy New Year's and that you enjoy the remainder of the holiday season.

Always Do Everything with Love,

And please don't forget to review!

XyKPfan


	15. Chapter 15

Solana moaned softly as she clutched her soft warm sheets. She had such a fantastic night with Lunick. Aside from their passionate, amorous play that evening, Solana just enjoyed being in his embrace. Something about lying in his arms in her bed with him was just so comforting and alluring…even moreso last night since they were both au naturel. At one time she may have felt embarrassed about it, but now she didn't. She was content and she was happy. Not a single ounce of her felt dirty. And why should she? She loved Lunick and he loved her. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the fact that they went to bed naked together. They may not have gone all the way but everything they did was heartfelt, sincere, solacing, and just all around good! And if Solana was being honest, if going to bed with Lunick felt this good and was this relaxing, she'd invite him to cuddle and sleep in bed with her every night…even if it did mean going to bed bare-skinned…

Solana hugged the pillow that was under her right arm and held it close to her chest. This so wasn't like her. Usually she would wake up ready for the day. Instead, she wanted to just stay there laying in bed and go back to sleep, desiring to reminisce about her fond night with Lunick. And that's exactly what she did. Or at least what she tried to do. But she couldn't fall back asleep. Some key ingredient to her comfort was missing.

Where was Lunick?

Usually, he would be sacked out, not moving until Minun or herself forced him out of bed. And considering that he enjoyed snuggling with Solana as much as she did, he should've still been in bed.

She craned her neck slightly, surveying the room through her sleep-addled senses. Her eyes spotted the digital clock on the nightstand beside her bed. It read _11:13 AM_.

Solana's eye snapped opened and she shot up out of bed. 11:13?! She was late for work!

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" she cried as she scrambled throughout her bedroom. Her clothes and Lunick's clothes were sprawled all over the floor, making her travel difficult. How could she let herself oversleep like that? Sure, she was bone-tired but most mornings she was and her biological clock had her up by 5:00. Furthermore, why did Lunick let her sleep in?! He obviously knew what time it was when he got up. Why didn't he wake her?!

Plusle peered inside and casually walked into the bedroom.

"Pla Plah?"

Solana struggled to put on her dress shirt.

"Plusle! Oh, please help me! We're running so late for work! Spenser's gonna be so pissed!"

"Pla Pla?" Plusle ran to Solana's white dresser on the other side of the room and hopped on top of it.

"After the way I just flaked on him yesterday afternoon, he's so not going to be pleased with me!"

She waved her tiny arms. "Pla Plah. Pla Plah Pla."

Solana rushed to put on her socks.

"What? I don't have time for breakfast. We're late! Have you seen my pack? Did I leave it downstairs?"

Solana quickly rushed out of her bedroom, partly dressed.

Plusle sighed and shook her head.

Solana ran down her the flight of stairs, passed her kitchen, into her living room, when she heard the sound of silverware clanging.

…The aroma then reached her nose…

Lunick was in the kitchen!

She turned back around and ran in to find Lunick standing behind her kitchen counter. He was wearing a black vest and the red boxer shorts she had tossed to the floor the previous night during their foreplay. He was humming a tune to some old cartoon as he slid an omelet over from a nonstick pan over onto a plate.

"What the?…Lunick!"

Lunick glanced up and smiled as he finished garnishing the plate with coarse black pepper and parsley.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." He carried two plates over to the kitchen table and rested them down. "Did you sleep well?"

Solana was baffled.

"Lunick, what are you doing? You're cooking?"

"Yeah. I know it's a bit late for breakfast but you still gotta put something in your stomach. It's not quite lunchtime so I guess this is brunch."

"Gah! Lunick, what are you doing cooking?! Have you looked at the time?!"

Lunick glanced at the wall clock as he approached her.

"Yes, I did. I just said it's not quite lunchtime." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "You do know you're not wearing any pants, right?"

"What the – Lunick!" Solana blubbered. "Lunick, what is wrong with you? Can't you see we're gonna be late for work?"

She rushed passed him and ran into the living room.

"You shouldn't be cooking right now. You should be getting dressed and helping me get dressed! Where's my pack?…"

Lunick slowly walked into the living room.

"Why didn't you wake me up this morning?"

Lunick looked down at his feet as he crossed his arms.

"Because we're not going in today." He said looking back up at her.

Solana's eyes shot up.

"What?"

He walked over to her again.

"I called in this morning and told Leader we wouldn't be coming in today."

Solana was stunned.

"What? Why did you do that?"

Lunick shrugged slightly. "I just figured it would be best if you stayed home today and took the day off."

"Why?"

Lunick hesitated a little before answering.

"…Because of what you told me last night…" he said slowly.

Solana's mouth dropped.

"You had a pretty hectic day yesterday, and after the crowd frenzy…and Iyori…then you told me about Billy and your stepfather and I just –"

"Just…stop," she said sternly as she held up her hands, finally able to regain her voice. "First of all, you have no right to be telling Spenser whether I am capable to do my job. You can't just take off sick days and vacation days for me like that."

"I wasn't trying to –"

"Second of all, you have no right to make decisions for me about my job. You cannot decide whether I will be able to function or not. I do. I decide that. Me! I didn't confess to you what happened to me in the past so you could use it as a hang-up over me. I'm not handicapped! What happened to me does not define me. You didn't tell him, did you?"

"No, I didn't." He was a little taken aback by the edge and sting of her tone and words, "I'm not trying to keep you back, Solana. I'm just looking out for you."

"Well, stop it." She replied sharply. "I was dealing with this before I met you and even three years additionally since that incident with Billy seven years later. I'll admit, it was good to finally get out all that stuff that I'd been harboring inside for so long but that does not give you permission to interfere with my life as it was."

Lunick watched Solana. Her body was slightly shaking and her eyes were very slightly starting to dilate. He knew he hurt her with his actions.

He lowered his eyes slightly before looking back up at her.

"I'm sorry, Solana. I was not trying to take over or take control of your life or disrespect you. That is the very last thing I would want to do. I just know you had a hard day yesterday. You were beating yourself up about Iyori…and after learning all that you had been through in your life, I just thought you deserved a day to just chill out and relax. We seldom use our sick days and I thought it was warranted…But you are right. I should have asked your permission first before going to Spenser and I am sorry."

Lunick shrugged slightly. "I just hate seeing you stressed, Babe. When you're upset, when you're unhappy, sad, or uncomfortable my whole world is not right until you are feeling better and back in your element again. And I would not be a good and caring boyfriend and caregiver if I did not do whatever was in my power to make you happy again."

Solana's features softened ever so slightly.

"I appreciate your concern, Lunick, I do. And I'm glad that you care so much. But you have to allow me to make decisions on my own. And you have to trust that I will tell you when I won't be able to handle something. Because you taking over and making decisions on my behalf without my consent is intrusive, and whether you intend it to be or not, it is disrespectful."

"I understand that now and I am sorry."

"I accept your apology." She walked passed him and started for her staircase. "Now, I gotta go get ready because I owe Iyori an apology too."

Lunick bowed his head and sighed.

"Solana?" he called.

She spun around.

"What?"

He turned around as well, although slower.

"Change your shirt."

Solana squinted her eyes in confusion.

"What?"

"Change your shirt."

Solana raised her hands in frustration and headed back to her room.

"Solana!" he called more forcefully.

"What, Lunick?!"

Lunick glanced down at her shirt then looked her back up in her eyes. Seeing that Solana still wasn't getting it, he pantomimed rubbing his chest.

Looking down at herself, Solana saw and understood what he saying.

She looked back up at him, giving him a lifeless, enervated stare.

He just shook his head and picked up her pack from behind the sofa. Then he walked up to her and handed it to her.

She slowly took it.

"Thank you."

"I'll go call Spenser to tell him we're coming in. Then I'll go change too," he said gently, before turning around to head back to her kitchen.

Before he took a step though, he felt a hand lightly place itself on his right shoulder. He turned back around and saw Solana watching him longingly.

She leaned forward and kissed him gently on his lips. It was brief but still sweet.

Lunick smiled softly and cupped Solana's face lovingly for a moment before walking back into her kitchen.

Solana sighed heavily and then finally made her way back upstairs to her bedroom.

* * *

Solana and Lunick knew there was going to be tension when they entered the Ringtown Ranger Base. Spenser was seated behind his desk as usual, but it was just him and Iyori in the base's lobby. Iyori had a white bandage wrapped multiple times around her head, her light baby blonde hair flowing down to around the base of her neck. Usually, all the bases were filled with rangers either doing deskwork or chattering or coming in or going out on missions. Whenever it was this vacant the base was either closed for extreme circumstances, or the Area Leader was having a meeting and vacated all rangers off the premises until further instruction.

…It was clear what the reason was for this vacancy…

Spenser cleared his throat.

"Good Afternoon, rangers. I take it you didn't need to take the full day off after all?"

"No, Leader," Lunick answered, "Half a day was all that was necessary. We're ready to return to work."

"Alright." Spenser put a few paper in a manila folder on his desk and closed it. "Before I get to your assignments I want to speak to each of you separately. I'll have you choose who goes first."

Solana and Lunick looked at each other momentarily. Lunick saw the worry in Solana's eyes and squeezed her hand.

"I'll go first," Lunick answered.

Spenser nodded.

"Okay. Solana, can you give us some privacy, please?"

"Sure, Leader." She answered nervously, still staring at Lunick. He nodded to her and squeezed hand again to try to reassure her. "Um, Iyori, can I talk to you in the kitchenette for a minute, please? If you don't mind?"

Iyori's eyes shifted between Lunick and Solana. She didn't answer but got up from her seat and slowly walked into the kitchenette in the other room

Solana continued to watch Lunick.

"I'll be fine," he whispered.

Solana both nodded and exhaled slowly. She hated to let go of his hand but she forced herself to do so before she entered the other room to meet with Iyori and give Lunick and her Leader some privacy.

Lunick turned back to face his Area Leader.

"You wanted to talk to me, Leader?"

Spenser's look was unwavering as he rested his chin on his hands. At times, Spenser could look like the most genial and welcoming person in the world. But when he was ticked off, he could be more intimidating than Ghetsis, Unova's demented leader of the Seven Sages and Team Plasma before disbandment.

"Lunick, you are an excellent ranger." Spenser began. "You've done many astounding things, many daring and miraculous rescues, and you've truly demonstrated to the region and to the world what being a Pokémon Ranger is all about. And you've made me proud time and time again."

He folded his hands on his desk.

"I try not to get too involved in the personal lives of my rangers but it is my responsibility to watch out for my students as your designated Area Leader and surrogate guardian while you are separated from your parents. I don't have any children, Lunick, but I like to think of you as my son. I care very deeply about you. But I am very concerned about some things that are going on with you recently and I need you to be forthright with me about it."

"Like what, Leader?"

"Well, for one, I have my suspicions about your motivations for hiring Iyori. To be honest, I've had my suspicions from the start. I didn't buy that Iyori wanted to work here from the moment you told me. And even if she expressed to you that she was interested in helping people the way pokémon rangers do…Iyori, with everything that she has gone through, should not be anywhere near the base. You should have known better. What happened to her yesterday was a catastrophe that could have been avoided. Iyori should have been speaking with relief services, getting counseling, and looking for housing, not staying here at the base scared out of her mind with you watching over her like a Day-Care owner or at Leilani's house as her babysitter."

Lunick's body tensed up, which Spenser easily caught sight of and raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, you thought I didn't know? The base has added security for a reason, Lunick. The techs go through the cameras every day and in case you forgot, I resumed my position as Area Leader that same morning Iyori nearly beat you with a bat. As for how I know she's been staying at your house and Leilani's beachhouse, that's unimportant. You don't need to know how I know. Just know that I know and that I seriously disapprove of you and Solana getting so heavily involved with a civilian and not handing her case file over to the proper representatives as you should have and as protocol mandates. I'm disappointed in Leilani too but I'm not her authorized Area Leader. She's also not as heavily involved as you and Solana are so I don't think Cameron will be dealing with her as strongly as I am you and Solana."

"Leader, Iyori would not take the help I kept referring her to. I couldn't just abandon her –"

"Lunick, you let yourself get to close to this case and to this girl and it has heavily affected your judgment. Quite frankly, I'm inclined to take you off of her case all together and ban you from all further contact with her. But at this point, I think that will only hurt her more."

Lunick relaxed his shoulders a little but he still watched his Area Leader.

Spenser continued to stare hard at Lunick.

"You may continue to talk with Iyori. As far as I can tell you are her lifeline right now. But she can no longer stay at your house. That is an order, Lunick. Disobey and lie to me again and you'll be on suspension for insubordination. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Leader."

Spenser relaxed and sighed softly.

"The other thing I want to address with you is your bond with Solana."

Lunick felt himself getting tense again. He did not like where this conversation was going.

"Like I said, I try my best not to get too involved in the personal lives of my rangers but when it starts to interfere with their work I cannot ignore it. Your relationship with Solana is becoming a distraction."

"What are you talking about, Leader?"

"Lunick, I am not a fool. I see how you two behave when you are around here. And I am not just talking about the love-dovey affection you are showing for one another. Though I am not too fond of PDA in the workplace, you two are developing a level of codependency that is starting to impact your efficiency in doing your jobs. If you two are fighting, there is so much tension you can hardly get any work done. But if one of you is broken, specifically Solana, then neither of you get any work done at all. I noticed this back since before you started dating but now it's gotten to the point where I need to say something. Yesterday was a rare occurrence where you were able to finish your work because the situation demanded it, but if Iyori wasn't in distress and that crowd was not out of control I guarantee you would have ran out of here and chased after Solana, just like you did when I put her on suspension just before we learned of the Shadow Pokémon insurgence a few years ago. You cannot do that. You two are Pokémon Rangers. You have a responsibility to this region to be here every day if possible to help citizens in need."

Lunick looked attentively at his Area Leader as he tried to watch his tone.

"With all due respect, Leader, Solana and I take our jobs very seriously and we do not just run out all willy-nilly like it is nothing. You said it yourself that we have done many daring and miraculous rescues day in and day out and we've saved the world at least twice already in our lives. We are not ignoring anybody here."

Spenser straightened up in his chair.

"I never said you were ignoring anybody, Lunick. I said you and Solana are reaching an unhealthy level of codependency that is heavily affecting your work. You and Solana took off this morning. That had to do with the swarm from yesterday afternoon and Iyori's meltdown, correct?"

Lunick nodded slowly.

"Okay. Now, I don't know the full extent as to why Solana was upset, but I know that she broke down and you went to take care of her like you always do. And please hear me, I am not saying that it is wrong to care for Solana and I am not chastising you for wanting some time to cool down, but there is a time and a place for everything, and there is a time where enough is enough. Both of you have let your emotions enter into this base and it has brought chaos and disorderliness and I cannot allow that to continue. And this is not the first time this has happened. Many times you both have come in here either angry at each other, or distraught, or have left with emotions all over the place and I have had enough. I don't know what is going on with the two of you but you need to get it under control. You two have been working together for a long time and I get it. On top of that, you are dating and that can complicate things. I understand that you two are close, but if your relationship continues to interfere with your work, I will separate you as partners…Get it together. Keep it out of the workplace. Keep it at home. Am I making myself clear?"

Lunick drew his lips inward and nodded his head in assertion slowly, giving a long, drawn-out, but silent sigh shortly afterwards.

"Yes, Leader."

Spenser relaxed and nodded as well.

"Okay…Good…Go get Solana. Let me speak to her briefly, then I will call you both in for your mission."

Nodding again, Lunick about-faced and headed for the kitchenette to get Solana.

As much as he had grown to be almost an equal to Spenser in some respects, the man still had a way of making his knees buckle and his heart skip two beats.

* * *

Solana exhaled softly as she pulled out a chair in the kitchenette for Iyori to sit in.

"How're you feeling, Iyori?"

Iyori sat down slowly.

"I am told my wounds are not too severe. The doctors say that I am fortunate I am not in more trouble than I am. Vertigo is the worst I will face after a relatively mild concussion. So, I suppose that is good news."

Solana sat down across from her.

"I'm glad to hear that, Iyori. Lunick will be happy to hear that as well."

"I suppose. It is not like he does not already know. He already visited me at Miss Leilani's house. He is aware of my condition already."

Solana nodded slowly. She folded her hands and shifted her gaze downward.

"I'm sorry, Iyori," she said softly.

"Whatever for, Solana-san?"

Solana looked back up meekly.

"I owe you an apology for what happened in here yesterday."

Iyori chuckled lightly.

"Oh, Solana-san, you are too modest. It is not like you caused that overflow of people to come into this place. You could not have known they would stampede in here like they did."

"No, but I still indirectly put you in this position to be triggered."

"What do you mean?"

Solana sighed lightly.

"Iyori…I set you up to work here…"

Iyori crinkled her brow.

"What?"

"I…set you up –"

"What are you talking about?!" Iyori cried as she shot to her feet. "What do you mean you set me up?! You mean you tried to get me attacked?!"

"No, no, no!" Solana said quickly as she held up her hands and joined Iyori at her feet. "I would never try to hurt you, you know that."

"Apparently not!" She cried through teary eyes. "I thought Renjās were supposed to protect! Defend! You told me that yourself! Why would you set me up to be killed?!"

"Iyori, I was not setting you up to be mobbed by reporters and frenzied, out of control crowds. Believe me, please. They were all just here for Lunick. I was trying to get you a job at the base. I was trying to get you to work here but I knew you weren't ready for that because you still needed help with everything you have been through. That's what I meant by I was setting you up because you were doomed from the start to break down and fail. But it did not come from any place of malice or mean spirit, honest, Iyori, it didn't! And I am sorry if this experience has caused you anymore pain. I am truly, truly sorry."

The tears were starting to well in Solana's eyes but they did not fall. Iyori's tear-stain face was sad but also stern as she sat back down in her seat.

"Why did you it?" she asked her voice cracked. "Why did you do it? I trusted you, why did you do it?!"

At this point the tears were also starting to stream down Solana's face as well.

"Because I still didn't completely trust you," she finally said quietly. "With the language barrier, I mistook admiration and veneration for adoration and infatuation. You came on real strong with Lunick at first and you were so very clingy to him. Logically, I know it's because he rescued you, Iyori. I know that, I know. But emotionally it still hurts! It hurts inside. And you're cute! And that is not meant to sound shallow at all but beauty and physical attraction does play a part in these things. Don't deny it, it does. And you've been staying at his house; he's been staying at the base watching over you. When you panic, you run to him and he's there for you and…and…and you know what? He's _my_ BOYFRIEND, Iyori?! Okay? _MINE_! There! I finally said it! I finally expressed it. And I am not trying to be mean. I am not. But I am having so many emotions right now. I am trying to be an understanding and caring friend. I am trying to do my job as a ranger and get you the proper support and help that you need. But I also need to be a respectful young woman who will not tolerate another young girl needing my Lunick to cradle and coddle her all the rest of her life. I know it sounds possessive. Maybe it is. But that is how I feel. I feel like you are taking him away from me. At least, I did feel that way until I got to know you a little better and see who you are…And Iyori…You're not the person I initially thought you were…"

The tears were streaming full force down Solana's face now, like an unrelenting waterfall.

Plusle cringed and her ears perked downward in seeing her human so emotionally upset. Iyori's face remained stoic through her tears.

Solana sat back down and folded her hands.

"Iyori, you're kind and thoughtful and nice. You're very shy and naïve but you are exceptionally brilliant. You have an astounding mathematical and scientific mind that comes so naturally it's just so mind-blowing how gifted you are in that area. You are afraid of the dangers of humanity and this world but you care about pokémon, at the very least, small ones like Plusle and Minun. Maybe a service pokémon can help you with your anxiety. That can be an option for you maybe?…I may be getting a little off-track here for a moment but do you see?…I've learned some things about you. About what you like, about areas you are skilled in, and things that can help calm you perhaps. These are things you can work on in your recovery that can help you."

Iyori was still silent and Solana knew why.

Solana sighed and looked down at her hands.

"I'm sorry, Iyori. I'm sorry I let my insecurities take control of me and put you in a place where you did not feel safe. I know I hurt our relationship immensely and I hope that you can forgive me for my selfish actions and behavior, however long that will take. But believe me when I say, I did not wish for you to get hurt or to die. I only want the best for you, Iyori."

Iyori stared at Solana hard for a long time. The tears had dried from her face but the hurt could still be seen in her eyes.

She finally answered.

"I gave you my word that I was not a threat to you and I honored that. I only wish that you did the same."

Solana's heart sank. Of all the things Iyori could have said…This one…This one alone…just…

"Hey…" A voice called softly from the entrance to the kitchenette. "Spenser's, uh…He's ready to see you, Solana…" Lunick said as he and Minun stepped inside.

Lunick could sense the mental stress traversing through the atmosphere and knew something had transpired between the two girls. That and Iyori's detached facial expression and body langue and Solana's tear-stained wistful longing countenance told him all he needed to know.

He walked up to Solana and rubbed her gently on her shoulders.

"Babe, Spenser wants to talk to you."

She sniffled.

"I…I don't know if I can –"

"Yes, you can. Pull yourself together. Wipe your nose, clean your face, and talk to him. I know what he's going to want to talk to you about. It's going to be fine. We have a mission after this so we can't keep him too long, okay?"

He let go of her shoulders and walked over to the sink just on the other side of the table a couple feet by Iyori and ran the faucet. He took a washcloth from a short towel rack, dampened lightly, then turned off the faucet and walked back over to Solana. He crouched down in front of her and cleaned her face, wiping off the tears and mucus from her nose, making sure he wiped all over before her told her to…

"Blow."

Solana complied, getting the last of the slippery secretions out of her system and Lunick pinched it away. He then wiped her face with the unused dry part of the washcloth before wrapping it carefully and passing it to Minun to put in the laundry.

He turned back around to face her.

"Okay, we alright now? Better?"

Solana nodded slowly.

"We're gonna go address Spenser now and see what he has to say, and then we are going to report for our briefing for our mission, okay?"

Again, Solana nodded.

"Okay."

Lunick stood up and held Solana's right hand to help her up. Plusle hopped on her right shoulder.

"I'll be right in here. Just come get me when you are done and I'll come be right in for our briefing, okay?"

"Okay." She said softly.

She glanced over at Iyori. The younger teenager just started at her, neither hard nor soft.

Lunick did not acknowledge it.

"Okay, Babe. Get in there."

"I love you." She said quietly.

"I love you too." He replied back with a reassuring smile. He gave her a light kiss on the forehead then gave her a little nudge into the lobby so she would go meet with Spenser.

He then partially turned around.

"Iyori," he said gently.

She barely turned to face him

He slowly walked up to the chair Solana was sitting in and sat down. Minun returned from the laundry room and sat down beside him.

"You and I need to talk…Right now."

* * *

Solana held her breath slightly as she stepped up to Spenser's desk in the lobby. His pose was relaxed but not too relaxed. There was still a slight erectness to his back that conveyed his authority and reminded her that he was in charge. His pastel jade green eyes seemingly contained no emotion and were apathetic, but there was just a hint of irritation in the creases between his eyebrows. And he was able to put her in place without him so much as making a single sound or utterance.

"Hello, Solana."

"H-Hello." She replied nervously.

"Don't worry. I won't drag this out." He said nonchalantly as he finished filling out some paperwork that was on his desk, signed it, and put it away in a folder in his desk. She hoped it was not a disciplinary form for her or Lunick.

He folded his hands on his desk and looked up.

"Solana, you're an exceptional ranger. That goes without saying. You've saved Fiore and even the world at least twice now from destruction and we owe you our lives. You and Lunick are always pushing the limits and redefining just what it means to be a Pokémon Ranger almost every day and I am proud to have been assigned the honor of being your Area Leader for seven years now, and being able to help nurture you and teach you and help you grow into who you are today. I'm in no way taking credit for any of your heroism, I'm just saying I'm glad I was able to see your maturation and progression over the years. But at the same time, even though you have grown a lot and have accomplished a lot in an exponentially short span of time in your career as a ranger, you have also fumbled a lot. And every now and again you and Lunick do some things to remind me that you are flawed individuals just like the rest of us."

Spenser lifted his head slightly above his clasped hands.

"Solana, what were your true motivations for hiring Iyori? Be forthright with me, please."

Solana was stunned. She struggled for words.

"I…I…um –"

"If you are concerned about Lunick, don't be. Lunick didn't tell me anything. He didn't have to tell me anything. I've had my suspicions from the start. From the moment I saw how the three of you interacted in this base when Iyori was discharged from the hospital, I knew. All the years I've spent watching over you kids as your Area Leader, you're all like practically my own…So tell me, Solana, why did you encourage Iyori to work here?"

"I…wanted to keep an eye on her."

Spenser didn't blink.

"That's it? You just wanted to keep an eye on her?"

"I…wanted to help her?"

"Are you asking me?"

"No."

"Then why does it sound like you are? Solana, I told you I wanted you to be honest with me."

"I am," she cried, "I mean, I'm still trying to understand myself, Leader. All I know for certain is, initially, yes, my intentions were not without their underlying emotions and there was an ulterior motive behind them to get Iyori away from Lunick by having her work here at the base so she wasn't clinging onto him like an adhesive Muk caught in a large Sticky Web with no way of escape!…I don't like having these feelings, Leader, believe me, I don't! But I couldn't help it. Something in me didn't trust Iyori. Maybe it was the language barrier and how just adorably cute and innocent she talked, looked, and seemed but whatever it was just didn't gel well with me. But then by sheer necessity I had to spend time with her…and I got to know her a little better. Not a lot, just a little, but that little bit of her that I got to know…it quelled whatever suspicions I had of her. She's paranoid, yeah, but it's not an act, like perhaps I was thinking before. She's so innocent because she's so sheltered on one hand and been through complete hell on the other. She clings onto Lunick because he's the single one good thing that happened to her in her life and he saved her from something so horrendous she can't even bring herself to talk about it. So…yeah, I put Iyori in a place that could have been extremely detrimental to her considering all that she has gone through, not just in the past few months but in her life, and I let my insecurities affect my professional judgment. I pressured Lunick into going along with my plan and have Iyori work here, believing that it really was for the best, and I nearly cost Iyori her life. And that is not what a Pokémon Ranger is supposed to do. Lunick said it best. 'We save lives. We don't settle for casualties.' So, I am prepared for whatever punishment you deem is appropriate for my irresponsible and unacceptable behavior, Leader."

Spenser stared at Solana for a while, rolling his tongue around in his mouth as he pondered upon all that she had said to him.

"If I may say one more thing, Leader?"

"You may."

"I know my intentions were ill at first, I fully admit that. But I really do think that Iyori's been doing well since she's been working here. And I'm not saying that to cover my ass, Leader. Pardon my language. She's really been helping the professor out in Fall City, and he desperately needed help, Leader. Murph will tell you that. I saw his lab. It was terrible."

"I know."

"And her scientific and mathematical knowledge is astounding. Mind-blowing. She can compete with the techs, even though she's not operating as one. She's really been an asset just working as an analyst while Lunick was filling in for you –"

"Solana…"

"I was really thinking about maybe even having her IQ tested because I really think she has a brilliant mind –"

"Okay, now you are covering your ass." He said with a very slight grin.

Solana chuckled weakly.

"I'm sorry."

Spenser shook his head.

"I've seen the professor's lab and I'm glad he was able to get some help. As far as Iyori is concerned, that is not my decision to make anymore. You on the other hand…We've got some more talking to do…"

* * *

"Iyori, I cannot watch over you the way I have in the past. That is overcomplicating things in my relationship with Solana and she does not deserve that."

"I told Solana-san that I am not trying to take you away from her."

"It's not about that," Lunick said firmly. "I cannot put you over Solana, Iyori. She is my girlfriend...Strike that. She is more than my girlfriend – she is the girl I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. And I have to respect that. I have to respect her. Waiting hand-and-foot on another girl is not respectful to her, and I should have realized that before I made you that promise. You need to stay here tonight."

"If I stay in this base, I will kill myself before he gets the chance."

Lunick closed his eyes briefly.

"Iyori, you say something like that and I'll have to take you to a psychiatric hospital."

"What good will that do? I'll just kill myself there."

"If you keep saying that, I'm going to take you to the ER and admit you myself. Don't make me do that, Iyori. The people in the mental institution have issues just like yours and worse, and being in that environment can further exacerbate your symptoms. You don't need that. You need peace."

She slammed her hands on the table.

"I need you! You promised to keep me safe!"

"I did!" Lunick yelled back. "But you are misunderstanding and misconstruing what that means!"

Iyori folded her arms and turned away from him.

Minun rubbed his human gently on his right ankle and Lunick tried to calm himself.

"Iyori, I have dropped everything for you. I let you sleep in my house against my partner's wishes, I risked my job and career for you by going behind my boss' back and lying to him about you. I cannot keep doing this. It's not just putting a strain on my relationships, it is putting a strain on my mind. That is not fair, Iyori."

"Not fair?" Iyori cried incredulously as she turned back around to face him. "I lost my home, my security, almost my sanity and I'm damn near about to lose my life! You all think I'm crazy but I am not! Seven times this man tried to kill me. Seven! And this last one he nearly succeeded! There is a violent sociopathic madman out to get me, and all I ever did was be kind to him. And this last time he nearly succeeded! And now I am homeless, alone, frightened, and losing my sanity. And I'm being chastised for it. That is not fair!"

Lunick sighed heavily.

"Iyori, I cannot imagine what you must be going through. I know it is a lot. I want to be a good person and help you, and I will continue to help you the best way I can. But that no longer entails me dropping everything at the drop of a hat because you are struggling. You have plenty of resources available to you. You are just not taking them. I rescued you but I am not your lifeline. Do you understand?"

Iyori's eyes lowered as she bowed her head.

"Watashi wa eien ni hitoribotchi?" She whispered softly, nearly inaudibly. _Why am I forever alone?_

Lunick's features softened considerably.

"You are not alone, Iyori. You have to stop the all-or-none, black-and-white thinking. You have a whole team here to support you. You've just got to remove your blinders and adjust your eyes. Reprogram your mind. I'm not leaving you. I just can't do everything that I was doing for you before."

Iyori sniffled and looked back up.

"So what now?"

Lunick shrugged slightly.

"Well, that depends on you, Iyori. On what you're willing to do. My Leader kind of passed the reins along to me concerning you."

Iyori perked up slightly.

"So then you now make the decisions?"

"I've made my decision. I've told you. I'm not doing things the way I did before."

Iyori slumped back down in her chair.

"That's not to say I'm not going to help you. I'm not abandoning you."

"Yeah…I've heard that line before." She said quietly as she turned away slightly.

Lunick sighed quietly to himself. Minun patted Lunick on his leg to ask if he should go to try to comfort her and Lunick shook his head 'No'.

"Iyori, this isn't going to work if you don't trust me. I want to help you, but I'm not going to force you to do anything."

He waited patiently for her to turn back around before he continued.

"You saved me. You're about the only person I do trust. If I can trust you with my life, I can trust you with anything."

"Does this mean you are willing to accept my help? Even if it may not be the kind of help you imagine it to be, or the kind you were receiving before?"

Lunick could see the tears welling in her eyes.

"These people –"

"Are my friends and colleagues. Fellow Pokémon Rangers. They aren't going to hurt you. They will protect you just like I will."

"…Your girlfriend –"

"Nonnegotiable. You _need_ to be able to trust her. I'll admit, she was wrong about you before. She admitted that. I forgave her. You need to forgive her too, or this isn't going to work. She's not going to hurt you, Iyori. She's a Pokémon Ranger too. The same way you trust me with your life, I trust her with mine. I know she feels bad about what she did and you know that too. You can't hold that over her head forever."

Iyori looked down at the table and pursued her lips for a moment.

"I forgave her. I just retain the right to be angry with her for a little while longer."

"Okay. You're entitled to feel how you feel. Just make sure you tell her soon, okay?"

Iyori nodded and swallowed hard.

"One more thing, Iyori," Lunick added. "I need you to keep working here."

Iyori straightened up.

"What? Excuse me?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Well, yes, but –"

"Then I need you to trust me on this, Iyori. Since you've been working for us as an analyst, you've been less antsy and a little more stable. Since you've been Professor Hastings' assistant, you've been more focused and having less panic attacks, at least while you are at the base or at his lab. En route to either is another story and I'll try to come up with something. Solana has already made a suggestion worth considering, but Iyori, the point is…working for the Pokémon Rangers has been a great and healthy distraction from your troubles and has made a considerable impact on your mental health, at least from my viewpoint, and even though I am not a counselor, I am going with the little training I've had in referring and advising and with my gut instinct, which is to encourage you to continue to work here because I believe it to be for your benefit. Now, it is your right to completely ignore everything that I am saying and walk right on out of here, and maybe try and reach out to those other resources I was telling you about before? But those are my two cents. I couldn't let our conversation end without letting you know how I feel about this."

Iyori sat there in silence for what felt like several long moments before she finally found her voice to speak.

"How long?"

"That's entirely up to you, Iyori."

She sat back in her chair and thought for another moment.

"Do you trust me?"

He scrunched up his face in confusion.

"Come again?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You keep asking me if I trust you. But do you trust me?"

"I ask you that question for your own security."

"And I am asking you for very same thing. You said you need me to continue working here. Do you trust that I can do that? Do you trust that I can continue to be an analyst and not break down? That I can continue to help the Professor and not fall apart? You know my weaknesses. You know what will break me. I threatened to kill myself earlier and tried to do so yesterday, yet you still want me to work here, even though I may be a major liability. So, yes, I must ask. Do you trust me?"

Lunick nodded, understanding her reasoning.

"Yes, I do."

"Are you sure?"

"I would not have asked you if I did not trust you, Iyori. Yes, I am sure. I trust you."

Iyori smiled.

"Then I suppose you still have an employee, Mister Renjā."

Lunick smiled back.

"Thank you, Iyori. Really. The Professor has been able to focus more on his Union obligations since you took on the responsibility of upkeeping his lab and helping him with his scientific and technological research. And you've helped us out a lot working as an analyst. You really have been doing a lot better since you started working here, Iyori…And uh, it's colleague. I'm not Area Leader anymore. We're cohorts now. Equals."

Iyori shrugged. "Whatever. You are still my Kyūjo-sha, Lunick-sama. I am still in your debt." _Rescuer. _

"If that's how you wish to word for now. Let's just start trying to take these new steps forward, okay? Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"And we understand that things are no longer going to be as they were in the past?"

Iyori nodded.

"Yes. I understand you are tossing me to the side just like that."

Lunick frowned and shook his head.

"It's not like that at all, Iyori. It's just it can't be as it was."

"I am joking, Lunick-sama."

Lunick chuckled lightly.

"You jest? So you do have a sense of humor?"

"I see you have an abundance of it," Iyori fired back.

Just then, Solana reentered the kitchenette. Lunick could see the anguish in her features and he immediately sobered up.

He quickly shot out of his chair and ran to her side.

"Oh, Babe, was it that bad? What did he say?"

Solana shook her head slowly.

"I don't really want to talk about it. Can we discuss it later? Spenser wants to brief us on our mission anyway and send us out."

"Of course." He kissed her lightly on her forehead before turning back around to face Iyori, "So we're gonna head out. I guess you could take the elevator upstairs and see if there's any data left from yesterday that maybe you didn't get to finish extracting or polymerizing or…something on the molecular level?…I'm not a scientist. You get what I'm saying, right?"

Iyori giggled softly.

"Yes, Lunick-sama. Alright. I may just relax here for a while longer, though."

"Okay. Take your time. Let's go, Solana."

The two girls watched each other for what felt like hours but was in reality just a few short seconds. It took Lunick nudging Solana and calling her twice to snap her out of it before the two rangers and their pokémon turned back around and headed to the lobby for their Leader's instruction.

Iyori remained there in the kitchenette. She rolled back in her chair, then she walked over to the stovetop and made herself a hot cup of matcha tea.

* * *

**A/N: **A belated Happy New Year everyone! I hope you've all had a great new year so far. And I pray and wish only the best for all of us the rest of this year and many more to come afterwards.

The updates probably may not be coming as often for a while now. I'm in classes again this semester so I'm going to be very busy but I will try to update this story as I am able to. They just won't be as often, as you've probably already noticed with this chapter.

Also, be prepared for this story to be a _**long**_ story. How long? I'm not quite sure yet. Not ready to assign a number value just yet but longer than _Inevitable Love_, I'm certain. Just wanted to make sure I stated this as well, I've been wanting to say this for quite some time.

I think that's all the announcements I have to make. I've also been under the weather lately, (so sick :#), so please pardon the mistakes. I will try to fix any and all errors as soon as possible.

Always Do Everything With Love.

Please Don't Forget to Review!

XyKPfan


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